The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 524 Brainstorming

The letter was read aloud in a short while.

Then Wu Jialiang stood up and introduced how much intelligence Zhang Xiaochun had sent to the Northern Song Dynasty and how much help he had provided over the years, demonstrating that Zhang Xiaochun was a reliable inside agent.

Next, Gong Erniangzi spoke, recounting how she encountered a general like Pang Di during the war with the puppet Qi state, whose body was in the puppet Qi but whose heart was in the Song.

Next, Yue Wenxuan spoke, analyzing the possibility of Ta Lan rebelling.

During this first parliamentary session, Yue Wenxuan deliberately made the procedures very formal.

Set an example for future parliaments! Ensure procedural justice.

After everyone had finished their analysis and presentations, the twenty regents were given some time to think.

Let everyone weigh the pros and cons, and then each person can offer their own perspective.

Lu Zai raised his hand and was the first to raise a question: "A year ago, we mobilized the entire nation's army to retake Kaifeng. The battle to capture Kaifeng alone used up countless gunpowder. Now, after only a year of rest, I want to know if our finances can support a large-scale Northern Expedition. Only after knowing this can I dare to vote."

Another minister from the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhang Jun, raised his hand and said, "After the unification of the two Song Dynasties, I have been in charge of the livelihood issues of the people in the Jiangnan region. The Jiangnan region has received strong support from Jiangbei. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated a large amount of money to the Jiangnan region, and many new seeds and new agricultural tools have been distributed. With the finances tilted towards the south, I am afraid it will be difficult to launch a military campaign against the puppet Qi."

When the two got to this point in their conversation, all eyes were on Qian Zhuoqun!

Qian Zhuoqun was the Minister of Revenue in the Northern Song Dynasty, in charge of the treasury. After the unification of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, he continued to manage the treasury.

Qian Zhuoqun stood up, took out a thick ledger, flipped through it, and showed it to everyone...

Han Shizhong: "Don't show it to us, just tell us directly. Who can understand this?"

Qian Zhuoqun could only say, "Although the battle of Kaifeng last year was costly, after a year of recuperation and increased production, our ammunition is plentiful, and there are no problems with our military equipment. However, the economic aid to the Jiangnan and Southwest regions has put a lot of financial pressure on us. As everyone knows, we have a one-year tax exemption policy for farmers who are just beginning to learn about new crops, so all the people in the Jiangnan and Southwest regions will not need to pay taxes this year..."

Hearing this, everyone felt the pressure!

Before the Northern Song Dynasty, territorial expansion was done in small steps, gradually expanding outwards. Once a place was occupied, it was well managed, so the financial pressure was not great.

But this time, with the unification of the two Song dynasties, the entire region south of the Yangtze River instantly became a financial burden for the Northern Song.

This is different from the old way of swallowing the land piece by piece; it's like eating a big fat man in one bite.

The pressure was immense!
Li Gang frowned: "So, in other words, a region the size of half a country has only spent money and not earned any for a whole year?"

Qian Zhuoqun nodded: "Only out, no in!"

All twenty regents gasped in shock.

If one half of a country only spends money and doesn't earn any, then even if all the revenue of the other half were poured in, it might not be enough.

How can we fight a war like this?

Li Gang had just been telling Yue Wenxuan that it would definitely pass unanimously. Now, after hearing Qian Zhuoqun's report, he blushed with shame. It seems that discussing it further did have its benefits.

Han Shizhong muttered to himself, "It seems that it would be better if the two Song dynasties were not united. The Northern Song could launch a northern expedition on its own. Merging the Southern Song would just be bringing a burden."

He deliberately muttered in a slightly louder voice, and everyone heard him.

The group of ministers from the Southern Song Dynasty blushed slightly, feeling extremely embarrassed. They had initially been so adamant about negotiating the terms of unification with the Northern Song, believing the Northern Song had gained a great advantage; little did they expect to be nothing more than a burden to the Northern Song.

Zhang Jun said, "So, you mean we can't launch a large-scale Northern Expedition?"

Qian Zhuoqun nodded seriously: "There's no way! At most, we can only fight small-scale battles."

At this moment, Yue Fei, who had been listening in, suddenly spoke up: "With the help of the puppet Qi state, we don't necessarily need to prepare for a large-scale Northern Expedition. We can prepare for small-scale battles and fight this war with the help of our inside agents."

Hearing him say that, everyone remembered that Yue Fei was a military general who came from a guerrilla warfare background.

Before he was given an important position by Zhao Gou, he fought as a guerrilla fighter everywhere, but he never backed down.

Yue Fei said, "I vote for the Northern Expedition, but not a large-scale one. Instead, a small force will infiltrate the puppet state of Qi to fight, make contact with our inside agents, and cause some trouble for the puppet state of Qi and the Jin army. That would be good. If we can find an opportunity to recapture some cities on the north bank of the Yellow River, that would be even better."

Li Gang: "Recapturing a city requires building a gray fortress, which puts a lot of pressure on the finances."

Yue Fei: "If we don't build the Gray Fortress, there won't be so much pressure."

Li Gang: "When the Jin cavalry came, wouldn't the people who had no Gray Fortress to protect them be in a terrible situation?"

Yue Fei: "We should leave no civilians behind! We will relocate all the people around the cities we have captured back to the south bank of the Yellow River."

Upon hearing this, several officials simultaneously exclaimed "Eh!"

Believe it or not, once the people were relocated, the Jin Dynasty's cavalry naturally became useless. The Gray Fortress wouldn't need to be built either, saving a lot of money. Of course, resettling the relocated people would also require some money, but it would be far less than building the Gray Fortress on the original site to protect them.

Just as everyone was starting to think the plan was feasible, Wu Jialiang shook his head: "Gentlemen, you seem to have forgotten something. The reason Zhang Xiaochun and the others are willing to act as our inside agents is because they hope that after we conquer and reclaim large swathes of land, their families living in those territories can feel at ease, and they can return to the Song Dynasty without any worries. If we just fire a shot and run away, even relocating the people, it doesn't serve the interests of our inside agents. How can they still wholeheartedly act as our inside agents?"

Everyone: Huh?

Yue Fei frowned as well; clearly, Wu Jialiang was right. The Song Dynasty also had to consider the interests of its inside agents, otherwise it would be a betrayal of Zhang Xiaochun and others' years of clandestine activities.

The ministers began whispering among themselves, and the entire parliamentary scene descended into chaos.

Yue Wenxuan remained silent, watching them argue and deliberate, unable to reach a decision for a long time. He found it amusing; it was a good start, the first council meeting had turned out well, and they could take it slow in the future.

This parliamentary session was mainly a formality, to make the ministers understand all aspects of national affairs, the various factors that need to be considered when making decisions, and the different distribution of interests among various parties...

They need to feel that making national policies by one person alone is bound to be full of mistakes, while a group of people pooling their wisdom can take all aspects into account.

(End of this chapter)