PFC Chapter 19 The First Strategist of the Northern Song Dynasty
Chapter 19 The First Strategist of the Northern Song Dynasty
Seize their power, control their finances, and take away their elite troops.
This was the initial national policy established by Zhao Pu for the Song Dynasty in history.
This is what is known as the policy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches." Some later scholars believe that it was precisely because of this national policy that the Northern Song Dynasty's military strength weakened and that there were serious problems with redundant troops.
Zhao Dezhao naturally voiced his question:
"Sir, what I don't understand is that if all the elite troops from all directions are brought to the capital, the vitality of the nation and the morale of soldiers in various regions will likely be suppressed, and the border defenses will become weak. If this continues, the soldiers' combat effectiveness will inevitably decline, and we may find it difficult to resist foreign enemies in the future..."
"How can this be solved?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu finally snapped out of his daze. He twitched his lips slightly and asked with a hint of teasing:
"This plan was your idea; how could you not know it?"
Zhao Dezhao smiled sheepishly: "This disciple truly does not know, and hopes that you, sir, will enlighten me."
Zhao Pu didn't delve any deeper. His gaze gradually drifted into the distance, as if recalling something. After a long while, he leisurely asked a seemingly irrelevant question:
"Your Highness, do you believe that His Majesty, having seized the throne of the Great Zhou, intends to either maintain a secluded existence or rebuild the nation?"
Zhao Dezhao's gaze sharpened slightly, and without hesitation, he replied with a hint of admiration in his voice, "Naturally, it's about restoring the nation!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu glanced at Zhao Dezhao in surprise.
In today's world, whether it is the pseudo-Han, the pseudo-Tang, or the Shu region, most of the rulers are people who are content with their limited territory. The vigor of their predecessors has long been exhausted, and all that remains is a heart for extravagance and pleasure.
The chaotic world has lasted for decades, and most people are content with their lot and seek only peace. Only a very few outstanding individuals have the determination to unify the world!
Zhao Pu was truly gratified that Zhao Dezhao understood his father's intentions.
"Since we wish to rebuild our nation, does Your Highness know the current strength of the Song Dynasty's military? How many troops does the regional military governor have? And how many troops do the other countries in the world have?"
This series of questions left Zhao Dezhao completely bewildered.
He hadn't actually researched this matter.
Seeing Zhao Dezhao's puzzled expression, Zhao Pu didn't keep him in suspense any longer, but instead began to list the details as if they were his own treasures:
"With Song Jizhou's national strength, he could mobilize approximately 12 elite troops from the Palace Guard and Imperial Guard, as well as garrison troops from the surrounding prefectures and counties directly under Kaifeng."
"Among the regional military governors, Li Jun and Li Chongjin were the most powerful. Together with the regional military governors of Chengde, Yiwu, Tianping, Guide, and Nanping, they had a total of about 20 troops."
"The Northern Han (using the name from later times directly) had 5 troops, the Southern Tang had 15 troops, the Southern Han had 10 troops, Wu Yue had 7 troops, Zhou Xingfeng of Chu had 2 troops, Shu had 14 troops, and Liao had an elite force of 30, with iron cavalry as numerous as clouds!"
Among them, the Yan-Yun region alone has a garrison of 10 elite cavalry. If the Liao cavalry were to march south, they could arrive in a day, and the beacon fires could illuminate the palace!
After saying this, Zhao Pu stopped talking and gave Zhao Dezhao some time to think.
As a teacher, his role was not to simply tell Zhao Dezhao things, but to guide Zhao Dezhao to find the root of the problem himself.
Hearing this series of numbers, Zhao Dezhao fell into thought, and after a moment his eyes lit up slightly.
Seeing this, Zhao Pu's eyes showed a look of relief: "It seems that Your Highness has figured out the key points."
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, sir," Zhao Dezhao said shyly and modestly.
He finally understood that the reason his cheap father later adopted Zhao Pu's strategy was ultimately due to a lack of soldiers and food!
Since they aspire to unify the world, how can a mere 12 troops be enough? Moreover, this is only on paper; the actual number of mobile troops is at most 8!
Looking at the map of the Song Dynasty, it bordered the Han and Liao dynasties to the north, the Tang, Wuyue, Chu, and Dali dynasties to the south, and the Shu, Tubo, and Dangxiang dynasties to the west.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as being surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Even so, under such dire circumstances, and with the need to guard against rebellions by regional military governors and regional warlords, a mere 8 troops, even if divided into smaller units, would be completely insufficient!
Although the Song Dynasty inherited the elite imperial guards of the Zhou Dynasty, making it an invincible force, other countries were not pushovers either; even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Not to mention the Liao Kingdom, just their cavalry alone were enough to rival the Great Zhou Imperial Guard!
Furthermore, who can guarantee that if the Song Dynasty were to initiate a campaign of conquest, other countries would not unite?
There are too many variables involved, so how can such a momentous undertaking as conquering the world be entrusted with something as unpredictable as luck?
The outside must be safe first!
If you want to unify the world, you must be of one mind. If you don't clench your fists, how can you inflict real pain?
In order to unleash their full power in a decisive battle, Zhao Pu's strategy was nothing short of a powerful and quick-acting remedy!
No wonder his cheapskate father orchestrated a campaign to gather elite troops and release military power over a cup of wine before conquering the world.
Because what his father lacked was never generalship!
They are soldiers!
"As for the matter Your Highness inquired about earlier, that is left for future generations to handle; those who came before can only fulfill their responsibilities!"
Zhao Pu's gaze sharpened, even becoming somewhat disdainful:
"If Your Majesty has conquered this land for future generations, but they are unable to inherit the great achievements of your predecessors, then that is the Song Dynasty..."
"Damn it!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao was stunned.
How could such treasonous words come so naturally from his mouth?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. This was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period! Any outstanding figure of that time was extremely unruly, and besides, for the Song Dynasty at that time, this was not the founding of a new dynasty.
Instead, start a business!
He established the foundation of the Zhao family's empire!
Since they are starting a business, these people certainly understand that the prosperity of any dynasty has never relied on just one generation!
Only through generations of people passing the torch together can we create an immortal legacy and establish an immortal dynasty!
It can only be said that the one who was wrong was never Zhao Kuangyin, but the emperors of the Song Dynasty in later generations!
"Your Highness needs to understand one thing."
The sharpness in Zhao Pu's eyes gradually faded, and his tone softened.
"His Majesty himself is not sure if he can completely restore order to this country that has been in chaos for decades on his own."
Zhao Pu's words reminded Zhao Dezhao of the many outstanding figures who had emerged during the decades of the Five Dynasties period:
Zhu Wen, Li Cunxu, Li Siyuan, Liu Zhiyuan, Guo Wei, Chai Rong…
The chaos of the Five Dynasties continued unabated, not because there were no heroes in the world!
Which of the founding emperors who were able to occupy the Central Plains and gain the reputation of being the legitimate ruler did not have the ambition to unify the world?
Unfortunately, most of the successors of these heroes were incompetent, weak, and foolish!
For example, his good uncle...
Therefore, when things are at their peak, all the wise men of the world eagerly await the arrival of a golden age; when things are at their worst, all the wise men of the world are filled with resentment and anger at their lack of resistance!
After saying this, Zhao Pu paused slightly, a complex look appearing in his eyes, and slowly said:
"Therefore... His Majesty will be extremely cautious in the matter of choosing an heir!"
"What one generation cannot accomplish, the next generation will follow!"
……
PS:
Zhao Dezhao: I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all readers. Please, please continue reading, leave comments, and vote with your monthly tickets! I bow deeply to you all...