Chapter 306 Bad news, only 10,000 people came, the general is called Di Qing

Chapter 306 Bad news, only 10,000 people came, the general is called Di Qing

At the end of February in the fifth year of the Qingli period, the transfer order of Wang Chu, the governor of Yongzhou, had already arrived in Yongzhou. He was demoted to the magistrate of Wuping County, Fujian, because he knew about it but did not report it.

However, before the new governor arrived, he had to carry out the handover work and could not leave for the time being.

So when he saw Nong Zhigao arrogantly entering Yongzhou City and calling him "Wang County Li" with the Huang brothers, he almost got angry.

But there was nothing he could do.

This matter was investigated by the Imperial City Division. It happened that the court dealt with the Western Xia and Liao Kingdoms, freeing up its hands to prepare to eliminate the Yue Dynasty, and as a result, this mess was discovered. If he didn't demote him, who would be demoted?

After Nong Zhigao entered the city, he became the co-governor of Yongzhou, and before the new governor of Yongzhou came, he became the temporary top leader.

He did not make any arrangements immediately, but stayed in his co-governor's office and waited.

After all, his status is different now, and he has to think about his career. If he messed around before the new Guangnan West Road Transport Commissioner and Yongzhou Zhizhou arrived and angered his superiors, it would be a big problem and not good for his career.

A few days later, Zhao Wenzuo, the former Gaozhou Zhizhou, arrived first. After a smooth handover with Wang Chu, the Zhizhou and Tongzhi of Yongzhou were all present.

Nong Zhigao began to contact him, and the two worked together for more than ten days.

The reason why Zhao Wenzuo took office was not only because he was a Tongzhi in a neighboring state and was familiar with the local situation in Yongzhou, but also because of his outstanding political achievements and his advantage of knowing the ethnic minorities in the border areas.

The court sent a secret letter to Zhao Wenzuo, asking him to have a good colleague relationship with Nong Zhigao, and also expressed the court's determination to recover the southwest and beat Vietnam this time.

Knowing the court's intention, he went in and out with Nong Zhigao during this period. Even if he encountered something, he often had to discuss with each other. In this way, the two quickly established a preliminary friendship and their relationship became increasingly close.

In early March, Yang Cha, the Guangnan West Road Transport Commissioner, finally arrived.

He was originally the Tongzhi of Suzhou, and was appreciated by Zhao Jun. He was promoted many times, first to the Zhizhou of Yingzhou, then to the Zhizhou of Shouzhou, then to the Longtu Pavilion Attendant and Supervisory Censor, and last year he was also the Hanlin Academician and Acting Zhizhou of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Now Kaifeng Prefecture is basically managed by Bao Zheng, the Tongzhi of Kaifeng Prefecture, and Bao Zheng was officially promoted this year, so there was an unwritten rule for the Zhizhou of Kaifeng Prefecture before.

That is, the Zhizhou of Kaifeng is a transitional official, and after one or two months, he can often be promoted to various departments as a minister.

But after Yang Cha became the Zhizhou of Kaifeng at the end of last year, when he was about to be promoted to various departments, he was suddenly assigned to Guangnan West Road as a transport envoy. Although he was still a senior official, he was not as promising as a minister of a department. For a time, many people in the court thought that he had offended someone and was sent out.

Only Yang Cha himself knew that this was an important task entrusted to him by the court, asking him to organize and lead the southwest troops to completely eliminate the Yue Dynasty in the south.

So when he arrived at the southern route of Guangxi, he did not stay in Guizhou, the seat of Guangxi, but went directly to Yongzhou.

March 9, outside Yongzhou.

As the ancient capital of Guangxi Province, Nanning, Yongzhou had a pretty good geographical environment.

The Yongjiang River runs through it, irrigating a plain area in the north and south. In addition, there are fewer hills, dense forests, and rich timber resources. It is located in the southwestern subtropical region, which is suitable for reclamation and human habitation.

Yang Cha rode on horseback, surrounded by the guards of the transport envoy, and could see the Yongzhou city located on the bank of the Yongjiang River in the distance.

The city is not tall, and there are dense fields and some villages on the nearby plains. But there are more numerous dense forests nearby, and you can hardly see the end of the sea at a glance.

This southern route of Guangxi is indeed full of jungles, so it is no wonder that miasma is rampant.

Although the court has made it known that mosquitoes spread miasma in recent years, and let the people in the south start a war against mosquitoes, Yang Cha still felt a little scared when he saw the endless subtropical forest.

After about twenty minutes, he finally arrived at the foot of the city.

Zhao Wenzuo, Nong Zhigao and other officials in the city came over and greeted him.

"Zhao Wenzuo, Nong Zhigao, Huang Wei, and Huang Shimi greet the commander."

Everyone bowed.

"Well, no need to be polite, let's talk about it after entering the city."

Yang Cha nodded slightly.

Many officials secretly looked at him.

They found that he was not very old, only 34 years old this year, and his face, which did not look old, was quite mature.

Everyone was quite surprised. Huang Wei, the newly appointed Wuyuan County Magistrate, who was in the crowd, whispered to the Xuanhua County Magistrate next to him: "Brother Zhang, is Si Shuai so young?"

The Xuanhua County Magistrate smiled and said: "Brother Huang, you don't know, Si Shuai is young and promising. He won the first-class Jinshi in the first year of Jingyou. Although he didn't win the top three in the first class, he was the fourth. Moreover, he has outstanding political achievements and is appreciated by the court. He has a bright future and naturally has a prosperous career."

People only know that there are only three people in the first class, that is, the top three, and the third place, but they don't know that it was during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Before that, there were five people in the first class in the Song Dynasty, but only the top three had exclusive titles, and the fourth and fifth did not.

However, even so, those who can win the first class, whether they are the first or the fifth, are very smooth in their official careers, especially Yang Cha, who took only seven years from entering the officialdom to becoming a transport envoy in history.

Now eleven years have passed, and he should have been promoted to various ministries as a minister, and returned to the local area as a fourth-rank transport envoy, which is considered to be a bad career.

Hearing the words of the Xuanhua County Magistrate, Huang Wei was filled with envy for a moment.

Although he was also a Jinshi, he was ranked at the bottom of the fourth-level Jinshi. His starting point was extremely low, and it didn't matter. He had been in a state of selection, and he joined Nong Zhigao's team because he couldn't get it.

Compared with a proud man like Yang Cha, the gap is still too far.

The group soon entered the city.

Zhao Wenzuo had already hosted a banquet in a restaurant in the city.

Yang Cha was really hungry after a long journey, and there were many things that needed to be discussed at the dinner table, so he didn't refuse.

The restaurants in Yongzhou are not even a little inferior to those in Bianliang. The most luxurious restaurants are only two stories high. Looking around, the city is full of bungalows, and there are only a handful of two-story buildings.

Zhao Wenzuo entertained Yang Cha and said guiltily: "Commander, the southwest is remote and not as prosperous as the capital, so please be patient."

"It doesn't matter."

Yang Cha nodded slightly, then took his seat and said, "Everyone, please sit down."

"yes."

Everyone took their seats one after another.

While waiting for the food to be served, Yang Cha said in a deep voice: "Where is Yongzhou Tongzhi?"

Nong Zhigao said hurriedly: "The official is here."

Yang Cha turned his head and looked up and down, and found that the other person was actually only around 20 years old. He was quite surprised and said: "I wonder how old you are?"

"Go back to Si Shuai, I just turned twenty this year."

Nong Zhigao was a little uneasy. He was afraid that the other party would despise him because of his young age.

"We know that we are young and have great potential."

Yang Cha smiled and said: "I heard that as early as four or five years ago, Tongzhi could not bear the excessive greed of the Yue Dynasty and raised troops to resist. Doesn't it mean that Tongzhi was only fifteen or sixteen years old at that time?"

Nong Zhigao smiled bitterly and said: "Guangyuan Prefecture was originally the territory of the imperial court, but Li Yue blackmailed the border residents and plundered the people. Even the lower officials couldn't bear it."

"good."

Yang Cha praised: "The Song Dynasty is in need of young men like Tongzhi."

As he spoke, he looked around and said: "The Imperial Academy has already named Tongzhi, saying that he has such courage and can be said to be a future pillar of the Song Dynasty."

"I have long seen that fellow intellectuals are extraordinary and their future prospects are limitless."

"Hahaha, if you can enter the Dharma Eye of the Imperial Academy, Nong Tongzhi will definitely have smooth sailing. If you get promoted in the future, don't forget to wait for me."

"It turns out that Tongzhi started the army at the age of fifteen. It was really a young man's courage. He deserves a lot of credit for this success."

When everyone saw that Yang Cha valued Nong Zhigao, they quickly praised him.

This is what officialdom is like. When people above you praise someone, people below you can only be envious, jealous, and hateful, and can only fawn over you.

As expected, Nong Zhigao was flattered by the boast and quickly returned the favor. In the Song Dynasty, the status of these border residents was not high. Huang Wei and Huang Shimi were still Jinshi.

Just because the identity of the border residents has not been valued, they can't even be dispatched during the selection process, so they can only be idle officials.

He was a failed candidate, not even a Jinshi, so he was naturally looked down upon in Yongzhou official circles.

Now that I'm being treated like this all of a sudden, I feel like I'm living in a dream.

Yang Cha saw his flattered look and smiled. Zhao Jun asked him to comfort Nong Zhigao. After all, Song Dynasty had treated him badly before.

Obviously, Nong Zhigao wrote many times to request submission, but due to the selfish desires of the Yongzhou magistrate, the court could not get any news.

Not only did it chill the people on the border, but it also made the Song Dynasty not aware of the invasion by Xiaoxiao, which was simply a shame.

But after a moment, Yang Cha straightened his face and said, "But Zhi Nong, before the Zhi Yuan comes, I have something to remind you."

Nong Zhigao said hurriedly: "Please be reprimanded by Commander-in-Chief."

"The Imperial Academy said that the Song Dynasty is an inclusive country. No matter what nationality they are, Han or Yi, if they are willing to be our subjects of the Song Dynasty, they will be treated equally and will not be treated differently."

Yang Cha said seriously: "Since you are willing to surrender to the Song Dynasty and become an official of the Song Dynasty, you should be loyal to the emperor and be loyal to the emperor. You must not build a country on your own and arrogantly proclaim the emperor like your father did. Do it, got it?”

Nong Zhigao was able to be forgiven this time because he repeatedly wrote letters explaining the reasons for the founding of the country. Secondly, he also expressed his desire to surrender many times and did not try to overstep his bounds and become emperor.

He founded the country to raise a banner and call on the border minorities to submit under his banner.

The present is about establishing a kingdom.

It was not until he rebelled in history and conquered Yongzhou that he established the Southern Kingdom and proclaimed himself emperor.

So judging from his behavior, at least the current Nong Zhigao is a bit like Li Yuanhao who wholeheartedly attached himself to the Song Dynasty, and has not yet raised troops to rebel and try to stand on his own as he did later.

Nowadays, his power is not strong, with only a few thousand men under his command, and his ambition has not expanded with the growth of his power. The imperial court gave him a fellow Jinshi origin and a fellow intellectual in Yongzhou, which already made Nong Zhigao very excited. How could he dare to What transgression?

Therefore, after hearing Yang Cha's words, Nong Zhigao was so frightened that he stood up quickly and raised his hands and said: "Commander, the court must be careful. The purpose of establishing the country is to make the border people join and call on the border people to fight against Li Yue. Otherwise, Li Yue invades the border. It is said that this is the land of Li Yue. If the border people do not have the protection of the country, how can they dare to fight against them? "

"Well, of course the imperial court knows about it. If not, how could you sit here peacefully? Of course, your majesty is aware of it, and the court is aware of it."

Yang Cha cupped his hands to the north and then said with a smile: "I know you don't need to panic. The imperial court also appreciates your merits and will reward you. This time, you just need to do your duty and cooperate with the imperial court to eliminate Li Yue. That's a big deal." A piece of credit.”

As he spoke, he looked at the other officials around him and said: "The imperial court will never forget its meritorious officials. Those who have merit will be rewarded, and those who make mistakes will be punished. This is the rule set by the Constitutional Yuan, and this rule also applies to everyone. So this The official is here to express his position. As long as there are meritorious service this time, I will report it truthfully and you will be generously rewarded. "

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief!"

Everyone stood up and saluted.

"Sit down."

Yang Cha pressed his hands down to signal everyone to sit down.

By the time Nong Zhigao sat down, his back was already soaked with sweat.

Yang Cha first hit Guzao with a stick and then hit him with a stick. The beatings made him panic.

But what he said later still made him feel at ease.

Because there is a meaning in Yang Cha's words - that is, if he can make a contribution in this war to destroy Vietnam, then he will probably become famous in the future.

At this moment, the food finally started to arrive.

Yang Cha did not get down to business right away, but instead greeted everyone with a smile to eat.

With what he just said, the atmosphere quickly became heated.

Everyone's motivation to eliminate Li Yue Dynasty has also increased a bit, and they are full of longing for the future.

The main reason is that the imperial army has been too strong in recent years, and both Liao and Xixia were defeated by the north.

Compared with the Liao Kingdom and Xixia, the Vietnamese Li Dynasty was really a small country.

Even if the Li Dynasty had a population of two to three million, the Liao Kingdom had less than 10 million, and Xixia had only 800,000.

But when it comes to combat effectiveness, Li Chao can only describe it as meager.

Because of the high mountains and dense forests and blocked roads, the level of Chineseization in Vietnam is not comparable to that of Goryeo, Japan, and information is extremely closed.

This led to the fact that Vietnam's smelting technology was quite backward at that time, and its weapons and equipment, military and horse training, and logistical supplies were very poor. Let alone compared with the Liao Kingdom, Xixia could beat them.

For example, during the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Sui Yang easily eliminated Vietnam and incorporated it into China's territory.

Therefore, these officials who were temporarily transferred from other places to reshuffle the local officials in Yongzhou were actually quite confident in destroying the Yue Dynasty.

Only Nong Zhigao knew that even if the Song Dynasty sent heavenly troops, it would not necessarily destroy the Yue Dynasty.

Because they are not accustomed to the acclimatization and are susceptible to diseases, they have always been troubled by problems.

Even if Emperor Sui Yang wiped out the Yue Kingdom casually, what would happen next?

The Sui Dynasty had not yet perished, but it immediately became independent again.

So this is a problem.

But think about it carefully, if the imperial court eliminates Vietnam in the future and you behave better, will the imperial court leave Vietnam to you?

With my familiarity with Vietnam, I might be able to hang out and be a little king there.

Thinking of this, Nong Zhigao suddenly became excited again. After the meal, he immediately asked Yang Cha: "Commander, the border people have been harassed by the Yue Dynasty for a long time. They have long been filled with anger and are waiting for an order from the imperial court. I don't know when the imperial army will arrive." Come, I’ll prepare early.”

Yang Cha smiled and said: "Don't worry, the imperial troops have already set off and will arrive in Guangxi soon."

"oh?"

Nong Zhigao said happily: "I wonder how many soldiers and horses there are? Is the commander Fan Xianggong? It's better for the officials and the prefect Zhao to make preparations and gather some food and grass."

"It's a small country, why does Mr. Fan need to go to war?"

Yang Cha shook his head.

Li Chao is really not worthy of Fan Zhongyan.

Nong Zhigao was a little disappointed when he heard that it was not Fan Zhongyan, the God of War of the Song Dynasty.

But he immediately said: "Could it be Mr. Wang or Mr. Zhang?"

If Fan Zhongyan can't come, it would be a good idea for Wang Deyong and Zhang Kang to come.

Some people have long said that in addition to Fan Zhongyan, during the Song Dynasty, Wang Deyong, the privy envoy, and Zhang Kang, the deputy privy envoy, used troops like gods.

Zhang Kang, in particular, is now well-known. He has penetrated hundreds of miles into the hinterland of Xixia, intercepted the retreating main force of the Liao Kingdom, and made numerous gains, earning him unparalleled military honors.

If one of these two people came together, they should be able to defeat Yue Chao.

"No."

Unexpectedly, Yang Cha waved his hand and said, "How can you kill a chicken with a bull's knife?"

"That is?"

Nong Zhigao was shocked.

Although the Li Dynasty was not worth mentioning in front of a behemoth like the Song Dynasty, it should not be looked down upon so much.

No matter what, we should send a big future.

However, I heard Yang Cha say: "The imperial court plans to send 10,000 troops this time, led by General Yuhou Di of the Imperial Guard Infantry Army."

"Ten thousand?"

Nong Zhigao almost collapsed at that time.

imperial court.

Actually only planning to pay 10,000?

And he was still a little-known guard, waiting in front of the palace?

That moment.

Nong Zhigao only felt that the imperial court's plan to destroy Vietnam seemed to be a joke.