Chapter 171: Shocking changes in martial arts (I)

Wanyan Lan seems to have not changed, her face is still cold and her expression is not much. She looks like a Korean artificial beauty, and she doesn't bring her entourage, and is single. However, behind Ouyang, there are two Zhang San and Li Si, who are good at martial arts. There is no way, not afraid of thieves stealing, but afraid of thieves thinking about it.

Ouyang bowed and greeted him: "Princess Wanyan, long time no see, please sit down."

"Yes, long time no see. Yangping is the same every day. I almost got lost." Wanyan Lan sat down politely, with a relatively friendly attitude.

"Look at tea" Ouyang said.

"Here you come." Liang Hongyu brought two cups of tea and came up: "Please use tea."

Ouyang stood up and said, "Madam, why do you serve tea yourself?"

"Miss Wanyan knows this well. Besides, Hongyu has today, I would like to thank Miss Wanyan." Liang Hongyu put the tea in front of Wanyan Lan and said, "Miss Wanyan, please use it."

Ouyang corrected: "Mrs. I said it wrong, it was Princess Wanyan."

"Thank you" Wanyan Lan forced a smile and took a sip of tea.

Liang Hongyu sat beside Ouyang and asked, "I don't know what official duties does the princess have when she comes to the door?"

"I can't say that official business is, but I just come to Yangping to visit my old friends."

"That's right. I heard from the officials that the princess is a hero among women and has lived in Yangping for many days. Now Yangping has changed to a great woman, so why not take the princess around Hongyu?

When the two women were talking, Ouyang was drinking tea while thinking about the reason why Wanyan Lan came to the door. Although the Liao people are not popular now, they are also very powerful. Especially the convenience of carrying and the use of simple hand-swinging cannons completely offset the Jurchens' advantages in cold weapons. A batch of explosive packs for sieges that were introduced later in the New Year made the Jurchens even more afraid. No matter how strong the city gate is, the two explosive packs will inevitably be destroyed. For example, the stand-alone game of civilization, as China exhibits the Great Wall of Thousand Miles, it can be protected from invasion. But in the era of firearm civilization, the Great Wall of Thousand Miles became a decoration. Jurchens who only know cold weapons and only cold weapons cannot stand such a blow. Whether it is morale or loss.

But the Jurchens were very strange. They did not seek to have the same weapons as Liao, but they hoped that Liao would have no weapons like them. Ouyang didn't understand this. Later, he suddenly realized that there were already huge fireworks in the Ming Dynasty, but they could not be made in the Qing Dynasty. The gunpowder formula in the late Qing Dynasty was worse than that in the Ming Dynasty. The expert gave the answer that it was lost. From this, we can see the Jurchens' thoughts. What Ouyang didn't know was that the idea was probably correct, but the Qing Dynasty Manchus were not the Jurchens during the Song Dynasty.

Faced with Liang Hongyu's enthusiasm, Wanyan Lan finally said: "Ouyang, can you chat alone?"

Ouyang did not answer, and Zhang San, who pressed the handle of the knife, spoke first: "The emperor has an order. Lord Ou must not meet with the Jin people alone. Otherwise, all guards will be punished and exiled." This is a letter, but it is not an imperial edict, but a hand order to Zhan Ming. Zhao Yu was afraid that Ouyang would be jealous of his interests and would be eaten by the Jin people.

Wanyan Lan shook her head: "I didn't bring any weapons."

Li Sidao: "Mr. Zhan can fight a tiger without weapons."

Liang Hongyu smiled and said, "Princess, don't mind, the emperor's grace is so great that we can't help but give it to the emperor. If you have anything, just say it."

Wanyan Lan thought about it and seemed that she could only do this: "My purpose this time is to hope that the Yangping Military Factory will stop supplying firearms to Liao.

"Puchi" Liang Hongyu laughed and said, "Prince, you're not kidding. My official can earn hundreds of thousands of yuan a month. If you don't sell it, you won't sell it... Besides, the court agreed. However, I heard from the officials that the court has already let go, and the Jin Dynasty can also sell things like hand-swinging cannons."

Jin State? Jin State can't afford it at all. The Jin State competes with the Liao people, which is equivalent to the Xixia and the Song Dynasty. Wanyan Lan doesn't know that Song State is looking for a balance between Jin and Liao. If the Jin people lose too badly, the negotiations will not be able to continue. The negotiations in Linhuang Prefecture have been going on. Now Song has gone back to the poorest state in Yanyun's sixteen prefectures - Mozhou. Now the second poorest state is being discussed. Zhao Yu also figured out that the treasury of the money is mainly land and achievements. Who cares about whether your state is poor or rich in history, and it is a merit to take it back.

Now that the Jin Dynasty is fighting very badly, Song is also worried. Tong Guan sent a secret letter to Ouyang, asking him to think of some ways to make the Jin people fight back. It is best to be able to fight back one or two cities of the Liao people, and it would be nice to fight like this. Now the strategy formulated by the Military Affairs Office is to use the Jin-Liao relationship and get back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun at money or other costs. Ouyang thought of the solution to smuggling, one way to reduce the sales price because of tax exemption, and the other way, it would not cause dissatisfaction from Liao. But the benefits are still needed...

Jin and Liao fought four battles last year, and Liao lost three times, which was very advantageous. The only time he lost was that he was stolen from the camp and was chased by Baili. But even the Liao people did not expect that the Jurchens seized a lot of firearms but did not take them out and did not conduct targeted research.

Wanyan Lan smiled and asked, "Is there anything else worthy of your Ouyang's greed for?"

"Yes," Ouyang said.

"What?"

"Population" Ouyang explained: "It can't be used now, but it can be used soon."

"Hmph, what are you like to be our Jurchen warrior?" Wanyan Lan was furious. The Jin Kingdom had a very small population in history. According to historical records, the Jin Kingdom traveled to Japan to catch hundreds of people back to work as laborers due to a lack of population. Ouyang and the Jin people talked about population, and they were quite asking the tiger, whether you sell skins or not.

Ouyang spread his hands: "Prince, you also know that I am a businessman. Businessmen pay attention to taking the least cost and getting the highest return. The court has rejected your proposal to exchange land for weapons. You and I know that your emperor Aguda is really not very credible. If you can't propose a more favorable plan, I don't think we have to talk about it." Wanyan Lan asked: "What are the benefits of you still interested in our Jurchens?"

"There is only a population, and it is a strong labor force. On the northwest road of the Song Dynasty, the people of Xixia persuaded many tribes to leave before the peace talks, which has led to serious lack of productivity in those places. In the bitter and cold areas of the northwest, the people of the Central Plains do not like to go. Although the imperial court has now changed to the northwest, the princess also knows that it is a drop in the bucket. Now the Song Dynasty is peaceful and happy, and it is not easy to arrest people. If the Jin Dynasty is willing to provide 20,000 young and strong people to work for three years without compensation, this one

We can discuss the matter slowly. Exporting firearms to the Liao people is the final say of the court, but I can delay the construction period. If the Jin Kingdom needs it, I can also open a maritime smuggling route. However, after all, there is only one premise, this matter is a private transaction, and neither the Song Dynasty nor Yangping will admit that there is a smuggling incident." Ouyang reminded: "Twenty thousand people, three years. It has been half a year since your envoys came to Song, but in fact, three years have passed quickly. Three years later these people are still Jin people."

For a military country, 20,000 people are 20,000 warriors. Wanyan Lan felt very sad. The country was so poor that she wanted to sell her labor. Ouyang also had a calculation. According to the current salary in the northwest, the salary of a strong laborer a month was 2 stagnant. That three years would be 72 stagnant. Twenty thousand stagnant people would be 1.44 million stagnant. Not only could it greatly alleviate the labor shortage, but it could also make a fortune. Besides, if you don’t pay it back in three years... Aguda was in the first day of the lunar month, can’t he do the fifteenth himself?

Ouyang said: "Of course, it still costs money to transport goods by sea. These 20,000 people are just a condition that we have begun to trust."

"It's so insignificant that you don't go to be a robber."

Ouyang smiled and said, "I am the slaughter and the people are fish. To be honest, if I change my personal meaning, when the Jin people are bullied to the point of being too strong, the Jin Kingdom will be incorporated into the territory of the Song Dynasty. I believe that the Jurchens understand how the Khitans will retaliate in the future. At that time, the Khitans were exhausted, and the country was rotten in a mess because of the war. However, the people in the court had short-sighted eyes and were all thinking about the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

"..." Wanyan Lan didn't say anything.

Ouyang said: "That's what it means, but now I really can't do it. If you agree to these terms, you can contact Mr. Zhang Xuanming and Lord Zhang directly. If there is nothing else, please, the princess."

The most painful thing of the Jin Kingdom was that it entered a tug-of-war with the Liao Kingdom. The deep hatred between the two sides was already a situation of dying. The most painful thing was that the Song Dynasty not only watched the fire from the other side, but also fought for wealth. Once the Song Dynasty, a huge productive monster, stood up, even if the Jin Dynasty united, might not be its opponent. Wanyan Lan stayed in Song for a long time and understood very well that even if the Jin people destroyed the Liao people, the Song people would definitely take the death. Because of this, Wanyan Agu made a confession, but this trick that has been used frequently in the Central Plains for thousands of years is useless today.

In the past, whether it was the Huns or the Turks, as long as they were weak, they could not only avoid wars between the two sides, but also gain great benefits from the Central Plains. No matter who became the emperor in the Central Plains, they would never be stingy with the rewards of the vassal kings. But this time the Song Dynasty changed its mind. It did not seek fame but only seek reality. Since the great victory in the northwest, the voice of the court governing the country with benevolence and righteousness has become weaker and weaker.

What Wanyan Lan didn't know was that the main reason for merchants infiltrating the court was. The gentry of the Song Dynasty was very strong, but once the gentry and merchants hooked up, the consequences became like this. For example, the Hangzhou fleet had very large-scale civil engineering projects, and the court had few voices of opposition. The ministers almost had one-sided support. They had no objection to the Liao Dynasty for a long-term peace talks. They had no objection to the court. Without using soldiers and guns to take back the 16 states, there was no better result than such.

The living space of the Jin people was gradually compressed due to the change of attitude of the Song Dynasty. Before and after the Bubugang attack, the Jurchens used war to support the war, and the whole people were soldiers. Unexpectedly, the firearms appeared sharply. The Liao people quickly consolidated the defense line. Yelu Dashi also learned the Song Dynasty's "drinking" technique and used Liao's national strength to consume the strength of the Jin people bit by bit. Although the Jin people controlled the territory, they were sparsely populated and had barren land. In addition, the proportion of farmers, merchants, and handicraftsmen was too small. In the next step, with the Song's attack on sea smuggling, the Jin people would be more difficult. Not to mention that the Song people's firearms have improved.

"Farewell" Wanyan Lan saw that the negotiations were fruitless and there was no possibility of any progress, so she stood up and said goodbye.

Ouyang ordered: "Madam, help me see off the guests."

"Please, please."

...

In mid-May, Ouyang went to Jing. However, it was not for the martial arts examination, but for the purpose of reporting the martial arts examination. Ouyang rented a printing factory in Tokyo for a month, and all the manuscripts were released from Tokyo. As soon as the list of martial arts list came, Ouyang was surprised to see Yue Fei appear. This person who has no political awareness but is good at fighting has always been a person who has heard of Ouyang. In the Special Administrative Region, the first one is Guan Erye, and the second one is Yue Ye. Ouyang knew his story since he was a child. He also paid special attention to some historical analysis of Yue Fei. Many people say that Yue Fei's death was because he had no political mind and had conflicts with the emperor's ideological and strategy. He had military power and reputation, but there was no other need except for commanding soldiers to fight.

In fact, there are practical examples in Song Dynasty. Di Qing was demoted for great success, so he didn't understand why. Prime Minister Wen Yanbo quietly told him: "There is nothing else, the court doubts you." It is a very unreasonable and simple reason. Such people can achieve fast, but they die quickly.

Manager Zhou emphasized that a navy general named Li Bao was only sixteen years old and was very young. Zhou An heard that although this man was born in a farmer family, he was very honest. At a young age, he could be said to be worthy of heaven and earth and was a real man. Then he observed that he was not only honest, but also courageous. So he gave some kindness and arranged him to be a soldier in the canal transportation. In April, he asked about other canal soldiers on the left and right, and everyone said that this person was not in line with his personality. Because he was concerned about public relations and forgot his personalities, he was furious and punished him for three consecutive duties. Two days and two nights, he still insisted not to be lazy and nap for a while. Seeing that this person was indeed available, Zhou An recommended him as the head of the village soldier to the martial arts.

The generals participating in the military sect were all young, the oldest was only thirty-five years old, and the youngest was fourteen years old. Some were from generals, some were from merchants, and some were from gentry. The great achievements of the two generals, Han Shizhong and Liu Qi, made even the gentry interested in military sects. What's more, this time, we were selecting generals from Hangzhou Fleet. Although we don't know if the main generals were also born here, the Hangzhou Fleet was quite high in specifications. The Hangzhou Fleet set up a general, which was the Staff Pacification Department, and was a senior official from the third rank. The main generals below were also above the sixth rank, and even the deputy generals were treated as the seventh rank.

Although the Song Dynasty emphasized literature and military affairs, the salary was not calculated in this way. The first-rank prime minister had a salary of 300 guan per month. However, the second-rank military officer and military governor had 400 guan, and some of the monthly public money was worth tens of thousands of guan per month. Even in the Southern Song Dynasty, when the economy was in short supply, the salary of officials was half, but the money of military generals was still given. Who wouldn't want to grab such a jealous position?

There are also regulations for this military election. Any candidate must meet the following conditions. First: local famous gentry recommendations, or county-level or above. Anyone who seeks fame will be investigated afterwards. Second, the children of generals and officers and children of military officers of the imperial court who are registered with the ninth rank or above can participate. Any general and officers of the fourth rank or above must be elected to participate. Third: Those who participate in the election must know a thousand words.

The conditions are very wide, and there is a forced recommendation. The number of people participating in the martial arts juren this time exceeded 1,000. This can be said to be the largest talent selection since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Ouyang had a private connection with the chief examiner Tong Guan. The two conspired for three days and formulated a set of selection rules. Although some people wanted to say hello to Tong Guan, the inner guard was responsible for daily life. Except for the emperor, only Ouyang could meet Tong Guan, and no one could do anything. Ouyang also got close to him, but he followed many reporters. When he saw someone approaching him, he would first interview: What is the name of your martial arts juren? As a result, Ouyang is also a stranger.

The deputy examiner was Han Shizhong, Zhong Shizhong, and there were also a group of people from the Privy Council and the Ministry of Rites. Han Shizhong was obviously much more mature. After returning, he did not visit Ouyang, and no visitors were seen. Zhong Shizhong had a door-to-door reception, but he was old and everyone only saw him. This kind of veteran general was also a foil.

The day before the start, everyone understood it. The real candidates were actually three people, Tong Guan, Han Shizhong and Ouyang. Tong Guan was responsible for identifying people, Han Shizhong was responsible for the ability assessment, and Ouyang was responsible for the idea. Everyone had people from the Censorate to monitor the entire process. The strict attitude of the Song Dynasty towards cheating was not overwhelming.

...

At the Tokyo schoolyard, more than a thousand men all changed into imperial guards' uniforms and stood in imperial guards' yard. Each person had a number behind them. In front of them was a table with paper, water and ink pressed by stones. More than 30 supervisors on the stage were sitting up, while the press group led by Ouyang was on the side. Tong Guan looked around and stood up and shouted: "I am Tong Guan, the chief examiner of this time. This is the deputy chief examiner of Han Shizhong, General Han..." He stood up one by the person who was called to his name.

The introduction took a lot of time. After the introduction, Tong Guan sat down and did not speak or speak. After the scorching sun was exposed for half an hour, he drank a few bowls of sour plum soup on the stage. Tong Guan stood up again and pulled someone out from behind and said, "For the general, let him go. The general's words must be listened to in detail. The military situation is urgent and complicated, and one word can live, and one word can die. Now you write down the official position of this adult, and the name. Those who whispered to each other will be expelled from the stage. Start."

Li Yifeng said with a sweat: "Sir, isn't this nonsense? How can more than thirty people recognize it? Moreover, the words of Tong Guan also have a hometown accent."

"The message is often transmitted in the army, and the message cannot be fully conveyed due to various reasons. The accent is also one of the reasons you said." Ouyang said: "But that person is not an official, but a commoner borrowed from the suburbs of Beijing. This question is actually very deep. The first tests attention, is it true that someone can remember it. The second tests observation, from this person's expression, you also know that Tong Guangang's actions are rude. Does anyone treat a colleague with an official position like this? Tong Guan mentioned earlier, and the order is done. But what should I do now that the order is unclear? The person who was eliminated in this round is the person who wrote the wrong identity of the people. The person who promoted was a blank paper, the right one, or the right one."

Li Yifeng suddenly said, "I understand. In the absence of military information, you can analyze and observe quietly, but you must not guess randomly."
Chapter completed!