What's going on?

The Holy Monarchs and Ministers in the Chongzheng Hall were all dumbfounded. If the possibility that Wu Haowen lost his mind and went crazy was ruled out, then he, Su Zhe, and Lin Yu must have learned the news of the war in the northwest from the Liao State.

The Liao people shouldn't joke about this kind of thing, right?

However, Tong Guan, Gao Yu, Wu Haogu and other Shuofang generals did not mention the war with the Liao army, what is going on?

Could it be that Gao Yu deliberately concealed the news of the war? This terrible thought was immediately dispelled as soon as Zhao Ji's mind turned.

According to Wu Haowen's report, it was a big battle between 20,000 Song troops and more than 10,000 Liao troops! How can it be concealed and not reported? Even if Gao Yu didn't want to report, there were still Tong Guan, the envoy of Jingluo's pacification, Xue Sichang, the transfer envoy, Su Chi, the governor of Yinzhou, and Wu Haogu, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the three straights, and the horses sent out by the palace to bear it. Could it be that these people are blind and deaf?

It was not a friction of a few hundred people against a few hundred people, but a big battle of thirty or forty thousand people on both sides. Anyone who has watched the review of soldiers and horses knows that there are more than 10,000 people and horses, and there is no boundless! dispatched 20,000 soldiers and horses, how could this momentum be hidden from the eyes and ears of the imperial court in the army? If Gao Yu can cover the sky with one hand in the Shuofang army, it will be terrible! Hasn't Shuofang's army become Gao's army?

"Your Majesty, could this matter be a trick of the Liao people?" Right Prime Minister Su Dongpo touched his snow-white beard, thought about it and said, "Maybe it's just the friction on the border, which was talked about by the Liao." ”

Mostly! Zhao Ji thought to himself: Gao Yu recruited 500 black-armored front riders from the Hedong Army, and wanted to turn them into knights. If this army is used, it is still possible to hide from Tong Guan and Wu Haogu.

Zuo Prime Minister Cai Jing said in a deep voice: "Even if it is the friction between hundreds of people and hundreds of people, it has to be reported!" That's a provocation with Liao! actually concealed it and didn't report it, is it really that the court has no law? ”

Zhang Kangguo, who knew the Privy Council, said: "Your Majesty, this matter must be thoroughly investigated!" If Tong Guan, Gao Yu, Wu Haogu and others really concealed the matter of provoking the Liao State, they should be severely punished to set an example! ”

"Your Majesty," Liu Kui, the secretary of the Ministry of War, also played, "This matter is not trivial, and it must be strictly investigated!" The minister suggested that Tong Guan, Gao Yu, Wu Haogu and others should be removed immediately, and another Zhizhi Neng minister should be selected, so that the truth could be ascertained. ”

Shangshu Youcheng Li Gefei said coldly: "Just because of the Liao's one-sided words, we are going to remove the front-line generals?" Now the western thieves are still resisting, in case the tide of the battle is reversed because of the removal of the general, wouldn't it be a failure? ”

Zhao Ji nodded lightly when he heard this. Tong Guan, Gao Yu, and Wu Haogu can still fight! Even the weakest of them, Wu Haogu, although he can't fight in the field, he is also a good hand at attacking and building cities.

Zhong Fu and Gao Yongnian are far inferior to him. It took Wu Haogu more than ten days to blow up Tongwanjian City. And Gao Yongnian didn't even have a small Qin Wangchuan City to do. The two of them are really at the level of siege!

Moreover, Wu Hao's ancient ability to build a city is more clever, and it took one night to repair the tattered Yinzhou City. If he didn't have his help, how could Su Chi and a scholar build a few Jintang cities on Shuofang Road?

Of course, Zhao Ji's expression couldn't escape Cai Jing's gaze, and he immediately played: "It's too early to discuss the removal of General Shuo Fanglu. If the Liao mission also learned of the Hetao war, then it should explain to them that we did not know about it and did not want to start a war with Liao, so as not to misunderstand it again.

In addition, the defense of Shuofang, Hedong, Hebei, and other places also needs to be completed as soon as possible, especially the Jiehe, Baigou (Juma River, located in the upper reaches of the Jiehe River), the Ansu Army, the Guangxin Army, Baozhou, Dingzhou, and other border prefectures and counties along Hebei, all of which must be closely defended. ”

Su Dongpo knew that Cai Jing wanted to take the opportunity to get his hands on the oily Jiehe Commercial Market again, so he followed his words and said: "Your Majesty, the minister suggested that the Jiehe City Shipping Division be upgraded to the Coastal City Shipping Division, responsible for the shipping affairs of Hebei East Road City, and the defense of the Jiehe River, Juma River, Bohai Sea, East China Sea and other sea routes. ”

Of course, it was Wu Haogu's suggestion to upgrade the Jiehe City Ship Division to the Coastal City Ship Manufacturing Division, and it was proposed by Wu Haogu in a private letter to Su Dongpo.

Of course, the coastal city ship system envoy is the new position that Wu Haogu wants to get! With his current official position, it is not suitable to be the director of the city again. However, knowing the affairs of Cangzhou and the jurisdiction of soldiers and horses is not what he wants, because the state officials of the Great Song Dynasty do not have much real power, and their tenures are usually very short, and most of them have to be replaced after more than a year.

Moreover, Wu Haogu knew Cai Jing's calculations very well, he wanted to let himself personally turn the autonomous Jiehe Commercial City into a semi-autonomous commercial city like Jingdong Commercial City.

It's not something that just anyone can do. The current Jiehe commercial market has a tendency to be big, and it also involves diplomacy with Liao.

In addition, most of the shareholders of the business market are very difficult to mess with. If it is not handled well, it is very likely to be targeted by the public - there are too many crimes that can make people unable to eat and walk around, even Cai Jing does not dare to act rashly.

The tension between Song and Liao allowed him to find an opportunity to "nationalize" the commercial market.

It's just that Wu Haogu also has his own set of calculations! He didn't want to stay in the Northwest endlessly. After all, Jiehe Commercial City is his foundation, and staying away from the fundamental place for a long time is always not very reassuring.

The matter of people taking tea and cooling will also happen in Jiehe Commercial Market sooner or later.

Therefore, while deliberately provoking the military conflict between Song and Liao, Wu Haogu also wrote a letter to Su Dongpo, seeking to upgrade the Jiehe City Ship Division to the Coastal City Ship Control Division.

As soon as Cai Jing heard Su Dongpo's suggestion, he knew that he was taking the position of the envoy of Wuhao Gumou City. According to his own suggestion, it is possible to serve for a long time as the director of the city. Then the coastal city ship system envoy who was promoted by the director of the city may also be able to serve for a long time - if you don't let Wu Hao serve for a long time, others will not be able to settle down! It was impossible for the imperial court of the Great Song Dynasty to allocate funds to the coastal cities to set up a large naval army, so they had to rely on Wu Haogu to organize armed merchant ships to help the war. Send a civil official over at random, who will you command?

However, Cai Jing still wanted to contradict Su Dongpo, so he asked: "I wonder if the coastal city shipping department can manage the soldiers and horses on land?" ”

"Naturally, the coastal system should be dominated by the navy," Su Shi replied, "but the navy is not necessarily on the boat." Soldiers stationed along rivers and coastal forts, and islands can all be classified as part of the coastal control division.

In addition, defense at sea and on the water cannot rely on naval warships. Merchant ships registered in the Jiehe City Shipping Division can also be used by the state. After all, the number of naval warships is scarce, the number of merchant ships is huge, and most of them are equipped with the same weapons as the warships, and the sailors on board are also brave and good at fighting. As long as you are properly given weapons and rewards, you can take on the role of water warfare. ”

The Song Dynasty pursued a route of restricting and using civilian force. The people have armor, archers, and effective soldiers, and it is not impossible to have an additional "armed merchant ship" now.

In fact, it is an open secret that the sea ships are armed, and the Great Song Dynasty government does not care too much. Compared with the dangers of maritime armaments, the income of the market and the market is more attractive.

Now Su Dongpo proposed to turn the maritime merchant armed forces into militias like armor and archers for use in the war against Liao, which is more in line with the consistent policy of the Song Dynasty in recent decades - use more militia and less recruitment, so as to save expenses.

"Su Qing, can the Coastal City Ship Control Division defend the river after the boundary river and the Juma River are frozen in winter?" Zhao Ji asked.

"In spring, summer and autumn, the river is defended, and in the winter it is stopped." Su Shi replied, "And there are embankments in the Jiehe River and Juma River, as long as they are used well, they can become long walls in winter." ”

"Then who do you think would be the best person to be the Coastal City Ship Administrator?" Zhao Ji asked again.

"This matter should be decided by His Majesty." Su Dongpo will never name him, although everyone knows that he wants to nominate Wu Haogu, but it is not necessary to say it. "From a minister's point of view, it is better to be a person who is well-known in the Jiehe Business City, is well versed in military affairs, and is good at building."

"That's Wu Haogu." Zhao Ji smiled, "He is now a full-time official, and he should be qualified to serve as the envoy of this system." ”

Seeing Zhao Ji's expression, Cai Jing chuckled in his heart.

Zhao Ji still believes in Wu Haogu!

"Your Majesty," Cai Jing said, "the matter of the Song Liao army in Hetao also needs to be thoroughly investigated!" The minister suggested that Wu Haogu should be allowed to participate in the investigation, and after the cause of the matter was clarified, he would be appointed as the envoy of the coastal city. ”

Let Wu Haogu go to investigate the "Hetao unauthorized border provocation"! Not to mention, Cai Jing still knows people and is good at his duties - if anyone in the whole world can find out about this matter, it is Wu Haogu!

"It's fine." Zhao Ji nodded, "But you can't let him check alone...... Can anyone go on a trip to Shuofang Road? ”

"The minister is willing to go to Shuofang." Standing up was the servant Shi Houmeng.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, the illegal affairs of officials were under the control of Yushitai and Dali Temple, not by Bao Qingtian's Kaifeng Prefecture. So this is the right thing for Hou Meng to come out!

Zhao Ji glanced at Hou Meng, saw that he looked righteous and awe-inspiring, and knew that this person had never formed friends and was famous for his good lawsuits, so he nodded and said, "It's okay, I'll bother Hou Qing."

Then add another one to Hou Qing to the middle of the matter, so as to strengthen his prestige. ”

"Commandment."

Zhao Ji paused, "Liao envoy, who is going to inquire?" ”

"Let's go, old minister." Su Dongpo asked for help.

The Liao envoy who visited this time was extraordinary, and he had the official title of the privy envoy of the Northern Yuan of Tongzhi - the Liao Dynasty was heavy on military force and light on literature, and the privy envoy was the prime minister. The privy envoy of the Northern Court is equivalent to the right minister or deputy minister of the Song Dynasty (the southern officials of the Liao Dynasty are mainly civil affairs, so the status of the privy envoy of the Southern Court and the privy envoy of the Northern Court is very different, and the left and right ministers of the Song Dynasty are different), Su Dongpo and he are equal.

"It's okay," Zhao Ji said, "Su Qing, you must explain to the Liao envoy that I did not order the Shuofang army to go to war, and I have not reported it, maybe it was a misunderstanding." ”