met free Page 2667
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Moreover, when moving the bags into the warehouse, they deliberately knocked over several of them.
Unfortunately, the rope tying the sack wasn't secured properly, and the grain spilled all over the ground, and the news spread quickly.
Grain merchants who wanted to hoard grain for speculation had no choice but to give up when they saw this situation.
Chapter 3661 The Great Drought in Western Xia
When Wen Huanzhang moved into Wangchuan Valley, military intelligence from Shaanxi was rapidly reported to the capital by boat and carriage.
Zhang Guangdao dared not delay. Without going through the government or the cabinet, he went directly to the emperor with urgent military intelligence.
"What is it?" Zhao Yuan asked.
Zhang Guangdao handed over the military intelligence report, saying, "The Western Xia is suffering from a severe drought!"
Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Shaanxi is suffering from such a severe drought, so it's perfectly normal for Western Xia to also experience a severe drought."
When the eunuch presented the official document, Zhang Guangdao said, "There may be a famine in Western Xia."
"Border generals in Yan, Qing, Lin, Fu, and other places have all reported that starving people from Western Xia have crossed the border in groups, traversing mountains and valleys to beg for food in our country."
"The grass roots and tree bark along the way became food for those starving people."
"Accept the resettlement!" Zhao Yuan took the official document and opened it.
Zhang Guangdao said, "Li Yanxian has discussed with the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission and ordered the civil and military officials on the border to properly resettle those starving people."
“Especially those with families, immediately provide them with grain and set up their households to be allocated land, and the population of the border areas can be replenished quickly.”
The generals in various regions were rotated two years ago to prevent problems from arising from prolonged garrison duty.
Now, Li Yanxian is in charge of Shaanxi's defenses, while Wu Jie is in charge of a large area from Yan'an to Linfu. The Linfu area was later divided between Shanxi and Shaanxi, but in order to better defend against the Western Xia, the Ming Dynasty assigned it entirely to Shaanxi.
Zhang Guangdao added, "Xiao Heda, the military governor of Xia Prefecture in Western Xia, sent men to infiltrate the starving people and send their young children to Mizhi Village."
"It also included a secret letter, saying that only His Majesty could open and read it, and that no civil or military official in Shaanxi dared to open it."
Zhao Yuan had already seen the secret letter, which was tucked inside the Shaanxi military intelligence documents.
Xiao Heda was originally a general of the Liao Dynasty, who escorted Yelü Nanxian to the Western Xia for a marriage alliance.
This fellow was ostracized by the Western Xia military generals, and Li Qianshun had always protected him, using him to counterbalance Richard.
Li Qianshun appointed several generals to check Richard, but some of them had already been secretly won over by Richard.
When the Ming Dynasty was first established, Xiao Heda had already skipped half a rebellion.
At that time, he disregarded the orders of the Western Xia court and took the initiative to retreat in order to preserve his strength.
The Western Xia rulers and ministers were afraid that he would defect directly to the Ming Dynasty, so they never dared to do anything to him. As Richard regained his strength, Li Qianshun even deliberately indulged him.
However, we must take precautions. Xiao Heda’s sons were all taken to the capital of Western Xia as hostages.
Zhao Yuan opened the secret letter and read it:
"May His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming be well. I was originally a general from the Liao Kingdom who escorted a princess to the capital. Now that my mother country has been annexed by the Great Ming, the princess and her children have died mysteriously, and I am left alone in Western Xia, where I am constantly ostracized..."
"The Left Wing of the Western Xia Divine Valiant Army has been taken over by Richard's confidants."
"This person is right next to my camp, and he makes me feel like I have a thorn in my side."
"Last year, they even found a pretext to stir up trouble and transferred one of my most capable generals away..."
The contents of this secret letter can be roughly divided into four parts.
First, he explained how difficult his situation was, as his military power had been constantly eroded by Richard, and if this continued for a few more years, he would soon be a commander without any troops.
Secondly, he expressed his willingness to submit to the Ming Dynasty, and his other sons were being held hostage in the capital.
But in recent years, he has had an illegitimate child, who is now five years old, and only a few close confidants know about it.
Now we send our illegitimate child to the Ming Dynasty and request that Zhao Yuan take good care of him.
Third, it details the military situation of the Western Xia west of Hengshan, saying that he has lost control of Yinzhou.
His army was blocked in Xia Prefecture by Richard's confidants and is now no longer bordering the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, the largest iron smelting plant in Western Xia, Xiazhou, was also seized by Richard's confidants.
Fourth, it also elaborates on the internal affairs of the Western Xia state.
Li Qianshun consistently promoted Sinicization and emphasized civil affairs over military matters, which, to put it bluntly, meant he wanted to centralize power.
Thirty years ago, Xue Yuanli, a Han official, was appointed to establish a national academy (similar to the Imperial Academy) in Western Xia, and 300 sons of the imperial family and nobility were selected to be taught Han Chinese learning.
Twenty years ago, the system for appointing officials was reformed. Scholars skilled in Chinese studies were given the same treatment as members of the imperial family and noble families.
Li Qianshun also repeatedly released information to test the waters, intending to establish an imperial examination system in Western Xia.
Due to the overwhelming opposition from relatives, nobles, and aristocratic families, the imperial examination system had to be abandoned.
However, the number of officials promoted because of their expertise in Sinology has been increasing.
Unfortunately, they are suppressed by the powerful and wealthy, stuck in low- to middle-level positions and unable to rise, with only a very few able to be promoted to high positions.
The ruling class of Western Xia was becoming increasingly divided.
Relatives, powerful figures, and aristocratic families looked down on officials from humble backgrounds and felt threatened.
They were also extremely dissatisfied with the king, Li Qianshun, especially those with military power, who all sided with Richard.
No matter how outstanding an official's achievements may be, except for a lucky few, most officials from humble backgrounds have no hope for a future in government.
They were full of resentment; some chose to give up, some engaged in rampant corruption, and others sought refuge with nobles and royalty.
This led to the ineffective implementation of Western Xia's policies, with many mid- to low-ranking officials deliberately paying lip service while secretly disobeying them.
Chapter 3662 Internal and External Troubles
In addition to drought, human factors also contributed to the great famine in Western Xia.
"The Western Xia is going through a period of change!"
Zhao Yuan increasingly understood Li Qianshun's predicament.
This ruler of Western Xia was beset by internal and external troubles and dared not make any rash moves.
If he dared to forcefully implement the imperial examination system, or promote more officials from humble backgrounds to participate in government affairs, he would probably have a large number of members of the imperial family, nobles, and powerful families supporting Richard's rebellion!
However, after 30 years of promoting Sinology and 20 years of promoting Sinology officials, a large number of officials from humble backgrounds are stuck in low- to mid-level positions, and have become a new political force.
It's impossible for Li Qianshun to change his old ways.
For the Western Xia to quickly complete its transformation into a centralized government, three prerequisites were necessary:
First, there is no external threat, such as the direct collapse of the Ming Dynasty.
Second, Richard must die so that the emperor can take back military power.
Third, a military aristocratic rebellion occurs, which the emperor successfully suppresses with the dispatch of troops.
If these prerequisites cannot be met, then we can only drag things out.
Once those officials from humble backgrounds continue to grow in power and control more of the country's power and resources, they will overwhelm the military aristocracy with absolute superiority.
In his secret letter, Xiao Heda said that if the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Western Xia, many Western Xia officials would be willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.
Because they had no hope for the future in Western Xia!
Zhao Yuan summoned officials from the Cabinet, the Court of State Affairs, and the Privy Council, and had them read this secret letter.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Western Xia is now at peace."
"Within the Western Xia, the emperor and his ministers were at odds, and the people were disaffected. After winning a few battles, countless people would surrender without resistance."
"..."
Faced with a barrage of flattery, Zhao Yuan remained clear-headed: "These low- and mid-level civil officials of Western Xia are of no help in the war effort."
"Their strength is too weak; how could they possibly fight against a military commander?"
"However, after we seize the territory, we will need them to govern the Northwest."
"The main problem is still Xiao Heda. Although his military power has been gradually eroded, he still controls most of Xia Prefecture."
"With his cooperation in Xiazhou, Hengshan can be one of the main targets."
"Order the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission and the Provincial Military Commission to properly resettle the starving people of Western Xia who have crossed the border to beg for food."
"After the starving people were registered and given land, they were immediately organized into baojia (a system of mutual responsibility and household management).
"If this continues for two or three years, the population along the Shaanxi border will be sufficient, and there will be enough laborers when troops are dispatched."
"On top of the previous grain transfers, the Ministry of Revenue will transfer another 300,000 shi of grain to Shaanxi and exempt this year's summer grain from payment."
"No matter how severe the drought is this year, no one in Shaanxi can starve to death, nor can the Western Xia refugees who have crossed the border starve to death. Only with a sufficient population can we fight a good war!"
"Starting next year, we will gradually increase the grain reserves of various prefectures and counties in Shaanxi."
"Make sure the local officials fill the Ever-Normal Granary to the brim within three years."
"If there are any disasters next year or the year after, please report them to the imperial court. After the censors verify the information, the imperial court will continue to allocate grain for relief."
"We need to make Shaanxi abundant in food and supplies within three years."
"Once the war starts, we won't need to transport grain from other provinces over long distances. We can wipe out the Western Xia in one fell swoop!"
After these words were spoken, the ministers were very excited.
If the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were the greatest pain for the former Song emperors and their officials.
Then the damned Western Xia is the second most painful one.
The war between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty lasted several times longer than the war with the Liao Dynasty.
The fighting began in the early days of the Northern Song Dynasty and continued until its demise.
There were occasional peace talks and ceasefires, but after a few years, fighting would resume, wasting countless amounts of money, grain, and soldiers for the Northern Song Dynasty.
Now, the Western Xia is finally on the verge of destruction!
Zhao Yuan asked, "How is the Yellow River management going?"
Qin Hui replied, "The first diversion has already been carried out. However, the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River are experiencing drought this year, and the water volume is not very large, so the effect of the diversion is not yet visible."
"If there is an autumn flood and there is no danger, a second diversion may be carried out as appropriate."
"The subsequent investment of money and grain is not much, so the court can confidently wage war against Western Xia."
“Very good,” Zhao Yuan nodded.
Fearing that Qin Hui's appointed officials might make mistakes, Zhao Yuan had the Yellow River project overseen by the son of Grand Secretary Zhao Quan.
However, Qin Hui was, after all, the Minister of Works, and he also sent several of his confidants to assist Zhao Fengji in managing the Yellow River.
After the imperial council meeting concluded, the ministers went to make their own arrangements.
This year, Shaanxi suffered a severe drought, and the imperial court transported large quantities of grain there without arousing suspicion from the Western Xia rulers and officials.
We can continue to transport and store grain next year and the year after, under the pretext of grain shortage.
Once Shaanxi has sufficient grain reserves and the refugees who fled from Western Xia have settled down, and there is no shortage of people or food, then we can find an excuse to suddenly send troops.
The reason for war is readily available: the Western Xia has secretly colluded with the Western Liao and has already betrayed its suzerain state!
What? You didn't betray me?
Very well, the Ming Dynasty is about to launch a campaign against the Western Liao. Your Western Xia should immediately send troops and men to help.
Furthermore, the Ming army needed to pass through the Hexi Corridor.
Even if Li Qianshun had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare let the Ming army enter the Hexi Corridor.
Chapter 3663 The Prince's Rebellion
Refusing to pass through confirms the accusation of betrayal.
After careful consideration, Zhao Yuan wrote another letter to Li Yanxian, asking him to send Xiao Heda's illegitimate son to Wangchuan Valley to study, and to use him as a hostage.
At this very moment, the Ming Dynasty's envoy fleet successfully returned home.
Accompanying them were envoys from dozens of countries, large and small.