Brother Song Taizu

Chapter 125 Conspiracy and Planning
In fact, Zhao Guangmei has been waiting for Kaifeng's attitude.

To be honest, it was a bit too scary for ten thousand Confucian scholars to go to the capital to file a petition. Even for him, the pressure was not light.

Of course, it is impossible for Zhao Kuangyin to kill him, but as the saying goes, everyone wins, and the influence of this matter is so great. If the eldest brother is under pressure and calls him back, or even beats him to the end, then the possibility is still very big.

Without Zhao Kuangyin's support, he would not dare to make any big moves in Huainan.

It's okay to do it in Suzhou, but in places like Yangzhou, Chuzhou, and Sizhou, I really can't stand it. As the saying goes, "The world is three parts bright and moonlit, and two parts rogue is Yangzhou."

Yangzhou was developed too early. Naturally, the powerful people here have developed relatively maturely. Their power is far greater than other places. Yang Yiyi Yi Er, the first state capital in the world must naturally have the best people in the world. card face.

Although years of war have wiped out all the power in Yangzhou city, the countryside outside Yangzhou city has not been affected at all. Even the industry and commerce in the city have simply moved to the countryside. On the contrary, the sages and gentry in the countryside have become more and more dissatisfied. During the years of development and recovery of Yangzhou, its political power has never been able to enter the village, whether in the Later Zhou Dynasty or the Song Dynasty.

So how can it be so easy to turn Yangzhou upside down?
Thanks to the fact that Zhao Guanglan was sent here, that night, Zhao Guanglan wrote a memorial of more than 6000 words eloquently, and secretly sent it to Zhao Kuangyin in an urgent manner, reporting all the situation in Suzhou.

At the same time, Zhao Guangmei's analysis was naturally written down, saying: "The conflict between the trading house and the country gentry cannot be reconciled, not just in the matter of disaster relief in Huainan. With the development of the trading house, this conflict will inevitably become more intense. There is no principle of coexistence and co-prosperity. If our Song Dynasty wants to rely on merchants, we must delegate power to our third brother, and there will be many problems in the future. If our Song Dynasty wants to rely on the gentry and share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, we must Please be sure to demote your third brother to a commoner now and depose the business firm, or you can protect the continuity of the Song Dynasty."

Then he waited and waited. Zhao Guangmei waited for seven or eight days before he received Zhao Kuangyin's secret letter, but the letter only had four big words: "Let go and do something."

Zhao Guangmei couldn't help laughing when she saw this.

Immediately, he summoned Sun Liancheng, Lu Duan and others and announced: "Everyone, it's time for us to enter Yangzhou."

At the same time, Zhao Kuangyin was also abrupt, suddenly showing his domineering and arrogant side. Not only did he still not see those scholars who went to Beijing collectively, he even ordered all of them to be driven to the military camp, and ordered Zhang Qiong to lead The Xiaoqi Army and the Crane Control Army led by Li Hanchao rushed south to support Yangzhou under Zhao Guangmei's dispatch, and the camps vacated after the departure of the two armies were just used to house these Confucian scholars.

Neither he was beaten nor scolded, and he was even given good food and drink, but he was not allowed to go out.

You must know that these people are the backbone of the wealthy gentry and landlords in the Huainan area. A small number of them are the heads of various families. As a result, they have fallen into a trap themselves. Not only can they not go home at this critical moment, they can't even go home. All news from the outside was cut off.

Isn't this a self-inflicted trap?

People all over the world seem to have finally remembered that although Zhao Kuangyin usually pays attention to benevolence and insists on ruling the world with civility, he has also made a strict rule not to kill those who write letters. Even for so many years, he has maintained the image of a polite and virtuous corporal. attitude.

However, no matter how humble his attitude is, how friendly he is on weekdays, and how respectful he seems to be to scholars, after all, he was born and raised in the troubled times of the Five Dynasties, and was the founding monarch with a military background!

………………

Yangzhou City.Putting the imperial newspaper's quick report gently on the table, Yangzhou magistrate Xue Pingjun murmured feebly: "It seems that the official has made a choice after all, choosing to trust his brother and treat us as good people. You ignored your cries and put millions of people in Huainan into ruins. Now, His Highness the King of Qin is on the road and will arrive in our Yangzhou territory soon. When the time comes, it will not be a pity for you and me to die. It's hateful, the world is turbid, and the high halls are filled with beasts and cannibals. The people are going to suffer."

Downstairs, Mr. Cheng, who was making tea with a charcoal fire in the charcoal stove, looked as usual, as if he had expected it, and said: "This may not be a good thing. After all, these 1 people are going to Beijing." The person who filed the complaint is now detained without reason. If His Highness the King of Qin takes the opportunity to sell the fertile land in the hands of our people at a low price, the people of every family will naturally want to have no master. However, this so-called no master is because of fear. Behind this fear, there is also anger. .”

"angry?"

Xue Pingjun curled his lips lifelessly: "So what if you are angry? Do you think we are still in the Tang Dynasty? There are many military households in Huainan. Even if you raise an army to rebel, you can still defeat the Yangzhou border guards. Can you defeat the Gaoyou and Lianshui armies?"

Mr. Cheng, however, said indifferently: "You will definitely be unable to win in the battle for supremacy on the battlefield. As long as you use your mind to calculate, an ordinary man's wrath can still cause blood to spread five steps. If... the rebels invade and the King of Qin dies violently, how does it sound? It’s pleasing to the ear...”

Xue Pingjun frowned: "Could he be an assassin? But according to the official's character, even if this is successful and Zhao Guangmei dies, the official will be furious and wash out Huainan with blood. I'm afraid that then..."

Mr. Cheng nodded when he heard this: "Yes, so if His Highness the King of Qin goes against the grain and makes the people miserable and rebels everywhere, then the Southern Tang Dynasty takes the opportunity to send troops to regain the lost territory and rebuild the Huaihe River defense line. Doesn't it sound more agreeable?"

"Nantang?"

Xue Pingjun was stunned for a moment, but then he finally changed his lazy look and said: "Li Yu...does he have the courage to send troops to the Song Dynasty?"

Mr. Cheng said: "Li Yu is young and energetic, and he has just succeeded to the throne. He must be somewhat ambitious. Besides... whether he dares or not, sometimes it is not up to him."

The Southern Tang Dynasty actually became a small country after losing Huainan. As the saying goes, if you defend the river, you must defend the Huaihe River. Because the Southern Tang Dynasty no longer has the natural barrier of the Huaihe River, the Yangtze River cannot be defended at all, so it has to bow to the Northern Song Dynasty and pay tribute every year. tribute.If only they could seize the Huaihe River, hold it, and wait for the right time, the Southern Tang Dynasty would at least have the capital to compete with the Song Dynasty.

When Xue Pingjun heard this, he thought a little and said: "Both the Zhou and Song dynasties were brutal and cruel regimes that did not show mercy to the people. The people of Huainan have suffered from the Zhou and Song dynasties for a long time, and they all miss the old dynasty. As the saying goes, toughness cannot last forever. Only when there are gentlemen in the Southern Tang Dynasty can the country be long-lasting and unify the world."

"Prefect Xue, drink tea. Don't worry. Within three days, all your wives and children will be sent to the Southern Tang Dynasty. Regardless of success or failure, thousands of hectares of fertile land have been purchased for you outside Jinling City to protect you." May your family be safe and prosperous in this life."

Xue Pingjun understood, nodded, and said: "For the sake of the world, why not give it a try? Although I am a weak scholar, I still have the courage to sacrifice my life."

"Okay! Brothers Zhao and Song, they regard us scholars as useless. Today, we will show their brothers the consequences of their perverse behavior!"

As he spoke, Mr. Cheng clenched his hands and raised his hands in the air, his eyes full of madness.

(End of this chapter)