On the second day, there was no morning pilgrimage, and Du Zhongxiao got up late. It wasn't until the sun rose and I had breakfast at home that I went to the Goshidai. As soon as he arrived at the official hall, Ye Xiang, the chief bookkeeper, hurriedly stepped forward and arched his hand: "Zhongcheng, there was a little yellow door just now to deliver the decree, and after the fate of Zhongcheng came, he immediately entered the palace!" ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, a little surprised. Of course, I knew in my heart that Han Qi occupied Xingqing Mansion, the party war came to an end, and the imperial court ushered in a very critical moment. I just don't understand why the emperor is looking for himself. Transferring himself from Hequ Road back to the capital is obviously to seize military power, and he doesn't want to participate too much in the military.

After entering the official hall to clean up a little, Du Zhongxiao took his entourage, entered the Donghua Gate, and went straight to the vertical arch. Entered the Ouchi, led by the small yellow gate, all the way to the Chongzheng Palace. Acting like a ritual, he entered the main hall, and Zhao Zhen was already waiting there.

After giving the seat, Zhao Zhen ordered the tea soup and said to Du Zhongxiao: "Han Qi broke the Xingqing Mansion, and the Khitan dispute came to an end, and this is an extraordinary time." Inviting Zhongcheng to come today is to ask Zhongcheng for follow-up matters. ”

Du Zhongxiao hurriedly praised the wat: "How dare the minister." In all state affairs, do your best, and risk death to say everything. ”

Zhao Zhen said: "Since the rebellion of Nong Zhigao, Zhongcheng led the Yingtianxiang army that was trained on Jingxi Road to the north to save Tanglong Town, defeated the Khitan, defeated the party, and expanded the land. The neighboring countries are not enemies of China and Cheng, and it has been more than four years now. Han Qi and Di Qing led the army to destroy the party, but they still relied on the soldiers and horses left by Zhongcheng on Hequ Road. Di Qing's 300,000 army, since September to the present, more than four months, has not been under Lingzhou. Han Qi and Zhao Zi led 30,000 people to attack more than 3,000 miles from Xingxing Gorge, and finally went to occupy Xingqing Mansion and forced the party to surrender. The comparison between the two armies is really indescribable. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Although the battle depends on the generals and soldiers, the final merits also depend on luck many times. ”

Zhao Zhen shook his head: "With the word luck alone, how can there be today's gap?" Di Qing's soldiers were well fed, with an army of 300,000, and they only went to Lingzhou City in three months. If there is no Han Qi's department, to be honest, it would be good to be able to capture Lingzhou this year. Di Qing's army was trained by the original forbidden army in the capital. At the very beginning, the Beijing Military Academy and the Hequ Road Military Academy competed, and the Beijing Military Academy was defeated. At that time, the generals of the forbidden army said that they were not familiar with the new military system and new guns, so they were defeated. In the end, the Beijing Forbidden Army completed the training according to the proposal of the lieutenant general of the army. When they went out to fight against the party, these generals made bold promises that they would inevitably make meritorious contributions, and the whole army was no longer what it used to be. The result? Alas—"

Du Zhongxiao was silent for a while, and said: "The minister doesn't know what the situation is in the army now, and many things are difficult to say. However, if you want to come to the front with this army, you must also bother. Captain Di has been in the army for decades, starting from a pawn and marching to fight, so he naturally knows the truth of the speed of soldiers. In the end, it is moving slowly, and there must be a reason why it has to be. ”

Zhao Zhen nodded: "In the battle of Haoshuichuan back then, Han Qi's command was not a big mistake, but in the end, he was defeated and lost, and Ren Fu died in battle. Once the manager divides the troops, if the control is not effective, there will be accidents. Di Qing was afraid of making the mistake of the first battle of Shuichuan again, so he kept cautious. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Think so. With all due respect, the weaknesses of the former forbidden army can be seen. In small wars, there is no fear of party members, and when the big army joins forces, all kinds of mistakes will be made. Sometimes the generals are afraid and flee without a fight, and sometimes they are not cooperating effectively, and there is never a time when the whole army is bent on fighting. Captain Di thought that he was afraid of this, so he was extra careful with his troops. ”

Zhao Zhen nodded, thought about it, and shook his head again. Compared with the two, the problems of the forbidden army in the past can now be seen clearly, and there is actually nothing to say. The commander-in-chief has too much power, and there is a lack of organization in wartime, and all kinds of problems will arise. Without the boss pressing the formation, the commanders below can have all kinds of problems that they can't think of. Di Qing was careful enough, and the only time he divided his troops was the chaos in Qinggang Gorge. If that's the case, there's no point in talking about it. This war was Zhao Zhen's last retention of the old military system.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Zhen said: "After destroying the party, we will have to face the Khitan." I invited Zhongcheng to come today, just to hear it, Zhongcheng has a plan in mind about how to fight against the Khitan? With the current strength of the imperial court, how sure are you of the Khitan? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The forbidden army under Captain Di Taiwei doesn't know much, so he doesn't dare to say much. There are 150,000 soldiers and horses trained on Hequ Road, and if they are properly commanded, they may be able to take advantage of the defeat of Yelu Chongyuan and take Xijing Road. Even if we can't take the entire territory of Xijing Road, we must strive to occupy several states, such as Shuozhou and Yingzhou. In this way, after the training of soldiers and horses in the future, it will be much easier to take Xijing Road. No more, I don't dare to think about it. ”

Zhao Zhen said: "Now it seems that Di Qing's 300,000 people will not be retrained, but I am afraid that they will not be used." Even if there are guns, they can't be invincible like the old part of the river. Guns will one day be learned by the enemy, and it is not a difficult method for a hundred years, so don't think of a way. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "What Your Majesty said is extremely true. In the case of this attack on the party, they made a cannon, although it was not as good as the one made by the imperial court, it could be used after all. In the future, when facing the Khitan, their artillery will inevitably have it, and it will be stronger than the party. ”

Guns are weapons, they can be ahead for a while, but they can't be ahead all the time. What really supports the army is the national strength of the imperial court. A strong national strength does not guarantee a strong army, but without a strong national strength, a strong army cannot support it. Force can run rampant for a while, but it cannot run rampant for eternity. In the long history of mankind, there have been countless powerful forces, and if they do not cultivate internal affairs, it will be a flash in the pan after all.

Although the Central Plains was strong and rich, if it could not be integrated, it would not be able to form an absolute advantage over the northern nomads. This was especially true of the Song Dynasty, which was defeated by the Jurchens and then by the Mongols in history. There are various reasons for this result, but the most important reason is that national strength cannot be transformed into military power. As for why national strength cannot be transformed into military strength, in the final analysis, it is still the military system at the root.

The Song Dynasty was a continuation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, especially the military system, which was only tinkered with without radical changes. This army is the guarantee of imperial power, has always been cut off from the state government, and is the real backbone of the emperor. Most of the time, the primary purpose of the imperial court is to collect money and grain and use it to feed the army. The characteristics of the army of later generations did not exist in this era. At this time, the soldiers were simply soldiers to eat food, and whoever gave money would give their lives. As soon as the imperial court ran out of money and food, the army soon disappeared.

Zhao Zhen sighed, looked at Du Zhongxiao and said: "After destroying the party, I want to restore Yanyun, mix one Yu, and reproduce the prosperity of the Han and Tang dynasties. Zhongcheng Yu is a genius in the army, are you willing to do your best to assist me in accomplishing this great cause? ”

Du Zhongxiao praised the wat: "The matter of eating the king, the matter of loyalty to the king, the ministers should obey His Majesty's command." ”

Zhao Zhen nodded emphatically: "After the party war, I want to use you to reorganize the forbidden army, what do you think?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The minister is stupid, but Your Majesty has an order, and the minister does his best." ”

It can be seen that this party war made Zhao Zhen really understand that there is no need to preserve the old forbidden army military system. In the past six months, I have been in contact with Du Zhongxiao, and I have also realized that Du Zhongxiao is a person who should be able to do great things. Only by changing the forbidden army can the combat power shown by the Hequlu army truly become the strength of the forbidden army of the Song Dynasty. The party item cannot be compared with the Khitan, and since the time of its establishment, it has been subordinate to the Khitan.

Destroying the party item does not guarantee that Yanyun can be restored, which is an even more difficult task. Du Zhongxiao didn't know how Zhao Zhen planned to use himself, in short, it was different from before. The first thing I should do is to retrain the forbidden army, completely change this army into a military force commensurate with the national strength, and accomplish more arduous tasks.

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