Chapter 573: Setting the Tone
August 17th, cloudy.
The sweltering weather enveloped the entire imperial city, and even the old dogs on the street drooped their heads weakly and curled up under the trees, unwilling to move. Only people who are on the road to make a living are not afraid of anything, and are still busy with sweat.
The waiters of the restaurants outside the restaurants on both sides of Junhou Street always ran out to look around, almost every one was like this, wondering why the adults after the Great Court Meeting hadn't come out yet? Usually, after each court meeting, the adults would find a restaurant on the street to have a few drinks in twos and threes. At this time, each restaurant will prepare some exquisite side dishes in advance for the adults.
Why didn't the palace gate open today?
The waiter in the restaurant just murmured in his heart, worried that the delicate dishes prepared in advance in the back kitchen would not be sold. But the really bad thing is actually the group of adults who are missed by them.
In the Wanmin Palace, the shifts were neatly lined up, and everyone looked serious, whether they were military or civil servants.
When Zuo Yuliang's urgent report requesting the emperor to activate the military talisman was sung into the palace at the court meeting in the form of a red feather urgent report, most of the unsuspecting ministers in the palace were stunned.
Really fighting? !
Many people in the military profession also just heard the news, so they were very excited. They knelt down to ask for a fight with blushing faces. The name is very long, as long as you can swing a knife and go to the battlefield.
And I also understand that at the Great Court Meeting, such an urgent report from Hongling needs the emperor to make a conclusion on the spot. If the emperor agrees to use the military talisman, Zuo Yuliang will be given full power. At that time, the southern frontier army will fight with all their strength, and they will never stop regardless of the outcome.
On the contrary, if the emperor rejects Zuo Yuliang's request, it means that the country's subsequent strategy is to shrink and defend, and will not attack the barbarians. At least the troops currently deployed in the barbarian areas will be withdrawn quickly. It may even be the so-called "peace talks" later.
That's why the reaction of the military officers is so fierce. They can endure being suppressed by the civil servants everywhere before, and they can also endure the military department being indirectly controlled by the emperor, but they absolutely cannot agree to choose a weak external strategy when they have an overall advantage. This is every military officer. shame.
The military personnel were very excited, and the civil servants were also jumping high as if they were stepping on painful feet.
The civil officials headed by Zuo Yuliang Ye Lansheng were full of tongues, and described Zuo Yuliang's request as a scourge. It's normal to die within three years, and the listeners are horrified.
The emperor sitting at the head of the hall remained silent like a statue, and after the people on both sides had quarreled for a long time, he suddenly raised his hand and said, "Bai Changqing, I remember the balance of the Ministry of Households last season was not bad, and the official warehouses in various places are also very good. It’s 90% full, and the grain depots in the garrison have just replaced a batch of old grain, so it’s considered full, right?”
To fight a war, the household department is part of the confidence. How much money, how much food, and how much material reserves are in hand can determine the direction of a large-scale war. So the emperor didn't express his position directly, but asked directly to the core.
Bai Changqing knew for a long time that as the minister of the household department, it was inevitable to avoid such things, and now he bowed and replied: "Return to your majesty, after the collection of the household department's case files last season, the warehouses in various places are indeed abundant, and the supplies have also been filled. It has reached about 90% of the country's usual reserves. However, although the national treasury is abundant, once the war comes together, the various projects that the country is repairing will be damaged, and the canals, official roads, reservoirs, etc. will be forced to stop, and the initial expenses It will all go down the drain”
Bai Changqing's words are very simple, and can be summed up as follows: Although the national treasury is abundant, it is not enough to swallow up the monster of war, not to mention that once a war breaks out, it will have an immeasurable impact on all aspects of the country, and it can even be said to be damaged.
These are not Bai Changqing's random words, but facts. Fighting not only kills people, but also damages the foundation of the country if you are not careful.
Generally speaking, "peace is the most precious" is the universal value.
But the emperor clearly had plans of his own. After waving his hand to let Bai Changqing stand up and go back to the queue, he asked the current speaker of the Ministry of War, Wen Mingju, the left servant of the Ministry of War: "How feasible is the comprehensive military strategy against the South that the Ministry of War has been doing in the early years? The worst plan is to fight How long will it take to get up?"
Wen Mingju was the first person to get the news. One night, when he was preparing for it, he did his best to cover everything as much as possible. Hearing this, he quickly responded: "Return to Your Majesty, the military department has been working on the strategy of using troops in the south since ten years ago. It has been planned, and has gone through dozens of different adjustments, and finally it is the current standing strategy. According to recent estimates, if there is a full-scale fight, the probability of Guochao winning is more than 80%, and the worst is to spend more time , but a major war will never last more than two years."
"in accordance with."
"Your Majesty, this is what the Ministry of War concluded based on the comparison of the war losses of the barbarian wars in previous dynasties. It is also the main reason for the 40-year-long population plunder strategy. If the barbarians still suffer the same battle losses as before, they It will definitely not last for two years. This is still predicted in the worst case, and it should not take that long in reality."
Although suppressed by the civil service group all the year round, although there are bad bugs in the Ministry of War, the things that should be done are still not neglected, at least in terms of the strategy obtained by Wen Mingju, it is true that the barbarians have been regarded as dead in the past few decades. dead. Using the simplest algorithm, even the speed and number of dead people fighting on both sides can basically count the barbarians into a dead end.
Of course, the previous cases of the Ministry of War are not suitable to be discussed on this occasion, and this can be regarded as saving the lives of the barbarians. But no matter what, it still can't change the fact that the population has been plundered for 40 years. The barbarian's current strength is definitely not as good as that of the last war, and the old Jing Dynasty has been developing steadily for 40 years. At least it is getting stronger and stronger. The gap between one in and one out is not a little bit.
"I'm not an immediate emperor, but I have led the country to defeat many powerful enemies, including the Nanman. If you win once, you can win the second time. Don't always judge everything based on "goodness". It can be clearly stated that the Nanman and us are not simply feuds. It is not that no one has tried to make peace for thousands of years, and it all depends on the sword in each hand in the end.
There will be sacrifices in war, whether it is the dead or the stagnation of domestic projects, all of which are controllable and bearable. If the barbarians are allowed to grow wantonly, the situation will become uncontrollable, and that is the biggest hidden danger! "
The emperor's voice was not loud, but it sounded in the ears of everyone in the Palace of Peoples like a breathtaking roar.
At this time, everyone knew in their hearts that this was the emperor's statement, and it sounded like a main battle.
"I don't care about any gaps or differences between you, but I will put them away from today. The war is imminent. If you can't unify with the outside world, you will be holding back the country and the court. It is like an enemy, and you will be punished strictly according to the law. Can you understand everything?"