Great Song Dynasty, Bianjing City.

Zhao Kuangyin gathered the senior generals and important ministers in the capital together to discuss the attack on the Tang Dynasty, and he insisted on the strategy of "first south, then north".

Although they suffered losses in Western Shu, the Song army could recruit more soldiers and horses this time to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty court finally attributed the failure of Western Shu to the favorable weather and location. It was rainy in winter and the Sichuan River was steep, which was not conducive to marching. The Song Dynasty's soldiers and horses did not exert a lot of combat power. Therefore, this time they would not attack the Tang Dynasty.

Passive like cutting down Shu.

Zhao Kuangyin was calm and composed, and spoke eloquently: "Since ancient times, relying on the defense along the Yangtze River, there is no defense depth and it is not strong. As long as the troops are divided into three groups, Jinling City in Jiangning Prefecture can be quickly blocked."

"I think about it this way. Qian Chu, the king of Yue on the east road, will be the envoy to the southeast of Shengzhou. He will send Ding Deyu to supervise his army. He will lead 50,000 troops from Hangzhou to the north to support him. He will pass through Suzhou, Changzhou and Runzhou to open the east gate.

, attack Jinling and contain the Tang garrison in the east."

"The main force of the Central Guards, named Cao Bin, and the General Superintendent Pan Mei, integrated the Forbidden Army and Huaibei local troops, gathered 100,000 naval and land forces, built pontoons and warships in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, forcibly crossed the river, attacked Chizhou, and penetrated into the hinterland of the Tang Kingdom.

"

"Wang Ming made a pond on the West Road, inspected the Yuejiang Road, sealed the general, integrated Jingchu soldiers and horses, led an army of 80,000, contained Lin Renzhao's 100,000 Tang troops in the Hukou area, and ensured the smooth landing and crossing of the river by the main force."

Xue Juzheng, the Minister of War, said: "The large number of troops and horses used this time is of great importance. In terms of food, grass, ships, military pay, and soldiers' armor, budgets need to be made in advance. In less than two months, it is difficult to fully deploy them."

Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand: "Soldiers need to be quick. If the Song Dynasty is fully prepared, then the Tang Dynasty will also be ready to fight. Therefore, while we send out the imperial army, the local government will prepare food and grass at the same time, integrating the local troops.

It was left to several generals. Shi Shouxin, Li Jixun, Wang Shenqi, Liu Guangyi, and several Forbidden Army generals from the Dang Jin Dynasty also went south, and each recruited local government troops in the north of the Yangtze River. Together with the main Forbidden Army led by General Pan Mei, they were in Anhui.

At the mouth of the Yangtze River, we gathered together with Tongling and the area to launch the battle across the river. Most of the food, grass and military pay were mobilized from the Yangzhou Prefecture area."

Prime Minister Zhao Pu nodded and said: "That's no problem. The Ministry of Revenue will allocate some money and silver to pay for the army. The food and grass for the army will also be collected. The food and grass for the subsequent army will be collected from the state warehouses along the way."

Zhao Kuangyin began to plan the time schedule: "In early March, the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Household Cooperation began to prepare for the expedition to the Tang Dynasty. In mid-March, 50,000 forbidden troops went south. In early April, they arrived on the north bank of the Yangtze River to build pontoons and ships. In May, they launched an attack on the Tang Dynasty.

Attack and capture Jinling City before winter!"

Zhao Kuangyin himself was born in the military, and he was bold and decisive in doing things. He never hesitated. Once he established a goal, he would push it forward vigorously and act vigorously and resolutely.

As the governor of Kaifeng, Zhao Guangyi's eyes flickered. He wanted to lead the expedition and gain a chance to gain military power. However, he was worried that the expedition to the Tang Dynasty would not go smoothly and he would return in failure and his reputation would be ruined.

In addition, if he takes command and goes on an expedition, he will inevitably resign from the position of Kaifeng Prefecture Yin. This position is very critical. He can control the mixed forces and forces in Bianjing City, Kaifeng Prefecture. The residence and activities of the ministers of all parties can be detected by his relationship.

After two years of operation, he couldn't bear to give up.

Therefore, he did not say anything about the expedition against the Tang Dynasty, intending to observe it before talking about it.

………

Su Chen checked some lists of personnel in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and sorted out which ones were the militants, which were the conservatives, which were the reformers, and had a general understanding of their names, official positions, departments, etc.

Only people who are familiar with the various factions should circle out some of the officials who influence the occupation so as not to influence the occupation.

Generals such as Lin Renzhao, Zhu Lingyun, Mao Yan, Ma Chengcheng, Ma Chengjun, Lu Jiang, etc. of the Southern Tang Dynasty are all usable generals who can be used to resist the Song army.

Once the Song army really attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty, Su Chen felt that he should recommend these generals to Han Xizai in advance and assign important tasks.

"If the separatist regime in the south wants to survive, it must firmly control the Jianghuai region. Otherwise, it can only rely on the defense of the Yangtze River line, and there is no defense depth. In addition, in ancient times, the economic center of the southern separatist regime was mostly along the river. The Yangtze River can be said to be everywhere.

Defend."

After Su Chen looked at the map, he had this idea in his mind.

As long as the northern Central Plains regime completes its preparations, it can instantly descend from the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River with overwhelming momentum. Not all regimes have the same national destiny as Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period.

But it is a pity that the Southern Tang Dynasty completely lost control of the Jianghuai land during the Li Jing period. The thirteen states in Jiangbei were lost five years ago and were captured by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. They are now within the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty court.

At dusk, it was already time for office, and Han Xizai had not come back yet. It seemed that the discussion between entering the palace and the officials was very deep, and he would not be able to make a decision for a while.

Su Chen left the official office, got into the carriage, and Jing Yun drove away.

Returning to Peng's Mansion, I found that a guest had arrived. Standing in the courtyard, her figure was graceful and pure. It was Xu Cainv who had arrived.

"Qingwan, aren't you in Runzhou? Why are you here in Jinling?"

Xu Cainv smiled and said: "My uncle is an official in Jinling, and the Imperial College has already sent me an invitation, inviting me to come to the Imperial College as a teaching assistant!"

Su Chen was a little surprised. In ancient times, "Guo Zi" often referred to upper-class disciples with titles. The "Jian" of Guo Zijian was often used as the official name and official signature. Officials were also often called "Jian Zi".

The students in the Imperial College were all the children of eunuchs.

Moreover, in the ancient Imperial College, female disciples were never recruited. Although Xu Qingwan was the most talented woman in Runzhou, it was a bit unreasonable to enter the Imperial College as an assistant (teacher).

Su Chen asked in confusion: "Who is your uncle?"

"My uncle Xu You is the current minister of the Imperial Academy."

"That's it!" Su Chen nodded slightly. He had seen some fourth-grade and above Beijing officials in the Ministry of Personnel in the afternoon, and he had seen Xu You's resume. With his photographic memory, he could imprint it all into his mind.

Xu You is the grandson of Xu Wen, a powerful minister of Yang Wu, and the son of Xu Zhihui. He is very knowledgeable. He is the master of Li Jing. He was favored during Li Yu's period. He was named Wen'an County Duke. He was also Li Yu's teacher when he was young. He has a high status.

high.

"Oh, then you will be stationed in Jinling City permanently from now on!"

Xu Cainv nodded and replied: "Yes, before leaving, I asked my father for some money. I plan to build a small elegant garden in Jinling City and live there. I will have more opportunities to exchange poems with you in the future.

"

Su Chen was a little reluctant to talk about poetry with a talented woman, as it would easily reveal his "true talent and learning", but he thought of the idea of ​​Tiangongyuan, and suddenly said: "Go to the Imperial College to explain poetry and allusions. Most of them are clichés and not very interesting.

And tell it to those rich kids

How much impact can studying have? It is better to join Tiangongyuan, which can not only provide scholars, but also study inquiry and arithmetic, and even set up a school for girls, so that daughters and girls from rich families can also come to study and gain knowledge.
Chapter completed!