"Zen Master, Zen Master?" Zhou Ping called twice, and Zhishan came back to his senses, with an awkward smile on his face: "Juncheng, please forgive me, I was distracted just now!" Zhou Ping then noticed that Zhishan was emaciated at this time. He had grown a lot, and there were two deep grooves at the corners of his mouth. He looked very sad. He couldn't help but ask: "Zen Master, what have you been busy with in the past six months? Why do you look so much older?" Zhishantan He took a breath and said: "You are not an outsider anyway, so it's okay to tell you. When Tong Xiang went south, I worked under Zhao Liangsi and Xuexian Zhao to form an alliance with the Jin people to attack the Liao Kingdom." "That's it!" Zhou Ping said with a smile: " It is a great merit for the Zen master to conquer the barbarians on the waves! I brought some supplements from the future, and I will pack them up with the Zen master and take them back for good health! He smiled bitterly: "It's better to say that the Jin people have a grudge against the Khitan people for the destruction of their country and their family, and they have destroyed the tombs and palaces of the Khitan ancestors. Their intention to form an alliance is very strong, but there are still some hesitations in the details of some states and counties. But just put more effort into it. It's better than our Great Song Dynasty Hall -" At this point, Zhishan couldn't help but sigh and kept silent. It was obvious that he had something unspeakable in his heart, but he couldn't say it to Zhou Ping. . "But there is a quarrel with that Bachelor Zhao? Everything is not going well?" Zhou Ping asked in a low voice. "That's not the case!" Zhishan shook his head and said, "Xueshi Zhao knows a lot about Yan, Liaodong, Jin and Khitan people, and he is diligent in the king's affairs. Although he cannot be said to be a pure minister, he is very important to me. The Song Dynasty is indeed loyal!" "Then why?" Zhou Ping asked. The Supreme Being did not answer. He just sighed, lowered his head and said nothing. Hearing this, Zhou Ping had already guessed five or six points. The person who could make Zhishan full of complaints but unable to say anything was naturally the uncertain Emperor Xuanhe. For this eminent monk who was devoted to state affairs, even if the emperor had all sorts of faults, he could not complain or accuse him. You can call this a historical limitation, but no matter how heroic you are, you would not dare to go beyond the limits in that era. Zhou Ping waved his hand to the servants waiting on the side to leave, and said in a low voice: "But there is another recurrence about the alliance with the Jin people?" Zhishan was stunned. Obviously he was stunned by Zhou Ping's words. But he soon recovered and sighed: "With your cleverness, Juncheng, it's not hard to guess. Yes, that's right. After the Fang La Rebellion, Tong Shuai led his troops south. He advocated the attack on Liao. Now that the people who oppose the Liao expedition have become louder, the matter has calmed down again? " "Isn't it possible?" Zhou Ping frowned and asked, "Wang Xianggong's money for conquering Liao has not slowed down the whole world. Why has the dispatch of troops been postponed again? " "Hey, Juncheng, you don't know that Wang Jiangming doesn't matter whether the expedition against Liao is successful or not, it's important to keep the money in his pocket first, so he can use it with troops. But things have slowed down. If troops were to be sent to attack Liao, how many of the archery societies, militia, and imperial troops along the Hebei border would not count their numbers, make up for the shortfalls, select capable generals, and declare strict military discipline to establish an alliance with the Jin people? Years have passed, but Hebei still looks peaceful. Are you planning to send troops to attack Liao? If you have money to restore Yanyun, why wait until now?" Seeing Zhishan's outburst, Zhou Ping could only secretly think. Sigh, it¡¯s not like there were no understanding people in the Northern Song Dynasty who could see that the king general Ming Wang Xianggong at the top who advocated the conquest of the Liao Dynasty restored Yan Yun was a lie, but the money, power and favor were real. It's just that these understanding people are not in the position to speak. Even if they say it in the position, Zhao Ji will not listen. Emperor Xuanhe was later caught sitting in a well and watching the sky in Beiguo City. It was his own fault. He had nothing to complain about, but he only suffered the millions of people in the Central Plains who suffered from the rebellion. They were really at home. Sit down, disaster will come from the sky. Zhishan sighed a few times and said: "It seems that we can only hope that Tong Shuai will pacify Fang La as soon as possible and return to Tokyo to prepare for the invasion of Liao. After all, he has been in charge of soldiers in the northwest for more than ten years. He should not Like Wang Jiangming!" "I don't think so!" Zhou Ping cursed. Judging from his short contact with Tong Guan, this notorious eunuch has certain strategies, but he is very scheming. The main focus is not on winning the battle but on playing political battles in the court. It's okay to deal with grass bandits like Fang La, but if you encounter the Liao army and Jin soldiers, you will probably suffer a lot. Of course, he would not say such words in front of Zhishan, and would just nod in agreement. "By the way, Juncheng, what are your plans for the thieves on the East and West Road of Beijing?" Zhishan asked suddenly. "Oh!" Zhou Ping said with a smile: "I plan to train the archers from each state first, and then fill up the gaps in the stationed imperial troops, and then deal with those grass bandits!" "It turns out that Juncheng already has a plan in mind! "Zhishan nodded, but his expression was indifferent. Zhou Ping couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart when he saw this, and whispered:?? asked: "Zen Master, is there something wrong with what I did?" "To catch thieves, it's good to train the country soldiers to protect themselves first!" At this point, Zhishan changed his mind: "But we can't generalize. !" At this point, he saw the confused look on Zhou Ping's face and said with a smile: "Juncheng, you are also from a humble background. You should know the attitude of the people in the countryside towards archers and soldiers, right?" Zhou Ping's face turned slightly when he heard this. He changed and said in a low voice: "What the Zen Master said is right, but I didn't think it through properly!" It turns out that in ancient Chinese rural areas before taxes were monetized, what farmers feared most was not taxes but labor, because taxes and taxes were all taxes in kind. , you can cope with it by living frugally or borrowing from relatives, friends and neighbors, but labor is different. Generally speaking, labor in ancient China was unpaid, and because labor was often not in the hometown, with the ancient transportation conditions, only those who could come back alive once they went out Twenty-three out of ten. In addition, those who go out to do labor are often the breadwinners of the family. Once they miss the farm work, there will be no harvest and the whole family will starve to death. For example, after Wang Anshi in the Northern Song Dynasty implemented the Baojia Law, farmers in many places cut off the thumb of their right hand in order to avoid practicing as archers (without the thumb, it would be impossible to shoot a bow). At that time, people called it the "blessed hand" to avoid taking responsibility. Labor is a blessing, which shows that farmers in the Northern Song Dynasty hated government servants. If Zhou Ping's method is followed to intensify the training of archers in every township and town, the result will be counterproductive. A large number of poor farmers who can barely survive will go bankrupt and throw themselves into the mountains and forests to become a new source of bandits. "What should I do? Ask Zen Master to teach me!" Zhou Ping asked in a low voice. "From what I can see, most of the bandits are just forced by hunger and cold, and they have no choice but to flee into the mountains and forests to survive. If we directly send troops to conquer, firstly, it will waste the court's property, and secondly, it will poison the people, which is counterproductive. It is better to ask the court to exempt them first. The states and counties collected the money from the levy and pardoned the people in the mountains and forests, and then attacked those stubborn people, so as not to punish them without teaching and disobeying the saint's will!" "That's true what the Zen master said!" Zhou Ping nodded: "However, this matter is of great importance. Since my official position is low, I can only report it to my husband and ask him to come to the court!" "Yes!" Zhishan nodded and sighed: "People plan things, and God makes things happen. I'll wait. As a minister, you can only do your best!" When Zhou Ping heard this, he knew that what Zhishan was talking about was not about bandits, but about forming an alliance with the Jin people to conquer Liao. He comforted him in a low voice: "I, the Emperor of Song Dynasty. With the protection of hundreds of gods, as I can see below, it will only be ten months before the leader of the thieves, Fang La, will be crowned. When Tong Shuai returns to the capital, he will naturally be able to promote the conquest of Liao!" "I hope so!" Shan nodded, and his frown relaxed a little. April of the third year of Xuanhe. Shezhou asked Zhengshan. The rugged mountain road is like a thin snake, winding in the valley, disappearing and appearing. It is said to be a mountain road, but in fact it is just an animal trail connected by many steep slopes, streams, and stone beams. It is not so much prepared for two-legged people as it is for four-legged hares, elk and other wild animals. A group of people are walking on the path. From a distance, they are just merchants who often appear in Wenzheng Mountain to buy animal skins, herbs and other mountain goods. But if you look closer, you will find something unusual. Although the people inside were all dressed as merchants, they were all extremely strong men, and the weapons they carried were extremely sophisticated. They were incomparable to the whistle sticks and short knives that ordinary travelers carry for self-defense. What's more important is that the donkeys in the caravan are not carrying mountain goods or the salt and cloth used in exchange for mountain goods, but armor, dry food, arrows and other military baggage. Han Shizhong stood at the front of the team. A piece of linen was tied tightly to his body, which made him look a little small. Like most riders who live on horseback all year round, his legs were a little bowed. At this time, he was panting and wielding a simple knife, cutting off the thatch and shrubs covering the road, and clearing a road. He did this for two purposes. First, it could clear the way for the team behind him; secondly, it could scare away the long insects lurking in the weeds, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. He is thirty-three years old this year, and was already a middle-aged man in ancient times. Although he has been tall and brave since he was a child, he has been in the Western Army for more than ten years and has made many military exploits, but he has not Promoted by his superiors, he was not even the lowest military attache at this time, he was just a first-class officer. After Tong Guan got the news about Fangla's lair, Gangyuan Cave, he left the good job of raiding the thieves' lair to his confidant Xin Xingzong. Xin Xingzong selected a group of elites from his subordinates and asked his generals to lead the army there. They were famous in the army for their bravery. Han Shizhong took the position of flag leader. Han Shizhong had a meeting and was about to put down his knife and take a breather. Suddenly, there was a strange sound in his ears. It seemed like someone was snoring by the roadside. An innate instinct stopped him in his tracks. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!