In view of the rise of Mongolia and the decline of the Jin Dynasty, the Song people launched a fierce debate on whether to fight against Jin and the issue.

Although Prime Minister Shi Miyuan knew that the power of Jin was greatly defeated by the Mongolian invasion, Kaixi's Northern Expedition was not far away and did not dare to accept the opinions of the warriors. He just stopped paying tribute and sent envoys, and still kept the peace agreement.

However, the Shandong region had a huge momentum of armed rebellion against the Jin Dynasty, and the Red Turban Army won many battles, occupied several states, and was praised and supported by local officials.

Therefore, although the Song court was unwilling to recruit the rebel army openly, he still secretly ordered the commander Li Jue to form a Red Turban Army with Ying Chunzhi, the magistrate of Chuzhou, and secretly gave the title of "Loyal and Responsible Army" to obey the commander's control.

At the same time, based on the example of the Wuding Army, Song Ting provided 25,000 people with money and grain to the Red Turban Army, called "Zhongyi Grain".

Meng Jiucheng listened to Ji Xian's narration and smiled.

As expected, it was still the same as in history. The Song court began to support Shandong's rebel forces, although not publicly.

The benefits of doing this are of course obvious. Once the situation in the Song and Jin Dynasties changes, an edict can restore the rivers and mountains in the north.

Moreover, with the cooperation and support of the Zhongyi Army, it would be difficult for the Jin army to invade Huai land, which would invisibly relieve the danger of the Song Dynasty.

"The commander Li and his letters were handed over to Meng Shuai." Ji Xian presented Li Yu's letter and said, "Mr. Li praised Meng Shuai and hoped that Meng Shuai could continue to restore his hometown and make achievements."

Li Jue was the commander of the Jianghuai Army and was also the governor of Jiankang Prefecture. He was the chief officer in charge of border affairs and was responsible for the barrier of the capital. He was proactive in fighting and planning to restore the situation and was also the most active in his attitude towards loyal and righteous people.

Ying Chunzhi, who was aware of Chuzhou, used to sell grain at a low price and secretly supported the Red Turban Army. It might be that he wanted to receive Shangguan.

"The court also sent secret envoys to reward military achievements with gold, silver and wealth." Ji Xian continued: "In addition to doubling the amount of grain purchased at a fair price, Lord Ying of Chuzhou also agreed to borrow tens of thousands of stones of rice and grain in advance to relieve the hunger of the northern people."

Meng Jiucheng had read Li Yu's letters. Although the money and food provided were not free of charge, and the Red Turban Army had to take action, the crisis of blazing has been resolved and the pace of development can be greatly accelerated.

"I already understand what Lord Li means." Meng Jiucheng smiled and said to Ji Xian: "With money and grain, the Red Turban Army will soon launch an attack westward. I will write a letter and ask Brother Ji to work hard to send it to Lord Li and Lord Ying. I will bring some gifts to thank the two adults on my behalf."

"You are polite, you've killed the villain." Ji Xian stood up respectfully and saluted.

Meng Jiucheng looked at Ji Xian and nodded in admiration.

Ji Xian did not defect to himself like Liu You. He had his own ideas and insisted on doing it.

Through continuous contacts and contacts, Ji Xian had gained Ying Chunzhi's trust and became a small official under Ying Chunzhi. This laid the foundation for him to recruit the rebel army in the future and become the first military commander.

This is a talent, but he has his own ideals. Meng Jiucheng thought about it, but he still gave up the idea of ​​winning over Ji Xian.

Everyone has their own ambitions. During this period, Meng Jiucheng did not want to offend officials from Song because of some trivial matters, even if it was just a small possibility.

After receiving Ji Xian with great reward, Meng Jiucheng wrote another letter before getting up to see Ji Xian off. When he returned to the house, Yang Miaozhen could no longer wait.

"Menglang looks very happy!" Yang Miaozhen was also happy when she saw her husband's joyful look.

"Haha." Meng Jiucheng was so embarrassed that he kissed his wife on the face, and said with a smile: "Of course I am happy and happy to be with her."

Yang Miaozhen beat Meng Jiucheng in shame and anger. Even if there were no outsiders, she was still a little uncomfortable with Meng Jiucheng's bold actions.

Meng Jiucheng laughed constantly, hugged his wife and walked straight to the back hall, "Madam, the difficulty is over, so you don't have to worry anymore."

When Yang Miaozhen saw her husband's appearance, it was probably Ji Xian who brought good news. Although she was happy, she was still a little worried and asked what was going on.

"This is very good. Although it has a name, it is not restricted." Yang Miaozhen asked clearly and nodded repeatedly, "The Southern Song Dynasty court is quite generous this time, but it will never escape the appearance of cowardice."

"My wife is talking about fearing the Jin people!" Meng Jiucheng smiled and said, "It has always been a problem for Song Ting to be at peace with Jiangnan and not be enterprising. Passive defense and lack of active offensive spirit are the key to the difficulty of achieving great things. Well, don't worry about him. If we are short-speaking, we will give Song Ting a lot of effort."

Meng Jiucheng said it well, which was also a conclusion drawn by historical scholars. The Southern Song Dynasty's defense line against the north was mainly along the Huaihai, Huguang, and from Sichuan and Shaanxi. This was the first line of defense.

The second line of defense is based on the Yangtze River and is deployed along the river; the third line is along the Five Ridges, but it has little effect.

The first of these three lines of defense has always been the main battlefield. Once this line of defense is broken, retreat to the second line of defense. If the second line of defense is also broken, then the emperor will usually escape to the sea to avoid the limelight.

This defense system was also quite effective in the later wars against Mongolia. It not only resisted Mongolia for nearly forty years, but also killed Mengge Khan under Diaoyu City.

On the surface, the defense system of the Southern Song Dynasty seemed to be perfect. However, such a system was precisely one of the main reasons for the final demise of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The ultimate goal of any defense system should not be to defend for defense, but to consume the enemy's vitality, preserve oneself, strengthen one's strength, and prepare for future counterattacks.

However, looking at the entire war history of the Southern Song Dynasty, it can only be said that passive defense has the upper hand in most of the time. Passive defense is the most consuming force for the defensive side.

Therefore, in the early days of the Song-Mongol War, although the Mongolian army could not make major breakthroughs on the front battlefield, it turned several defense zones of the Southern Song Dynasty into veritable "meat grinders", which consumed a lot of manpower and material resources of the Southern Song Dynasty, forcing the Southern Song Dynasty to lose one thing and run away.

If you cannot take the initiative in the war, even if the Southern Song Dynasty could still hold on for more time when fighting against Mongolia, you would still lose the war in the end.

In fact, during the more than 40 years of the war between Song and Meng, the Song Dynasty had always had the opportunity to fight back.

Mongolia has always focused on northern affairs. In addition to the Western Expedition, there were later civil wars for the Khan throne and the failure of the first confrontation against Japan. But every time, the Southern Song Dynasty missed a good opportunity.

In terms of the strength of the troops of the Southern Song Dynasty, whether it is attacking Jin or Yuan, the best route of dispatching troops is not on land, but on sea.

The Southern Song Dynasty's navy was strong and there was a record of blocking the Jin army fleet in the port to make dumplings. However, the Southern Song Dynasty never seemed to have thought of sending troops to land on a boat in the Bohai Bay or Liaodong, and copying the Jin Dynasty or the Mongolian Yuan's lair.

Under such circumstances, the Southern Song Dynasty only knew to guard its own acre of three-point land. After "Duanping into Luoyang", it became a turtle with its head shrunk and never dared to attack actively. It can only be said that the Southern Song Dynasty had exhausted all its energy.

Another problem with the Southern Song Dynasty was that it was not afraid to mobilize the masses. Whether it was against the Jin or the Mongolian, the Southern Song Dynasty did not lack rebels who spontaneously resisted behind the enemy.

But how did the Southern Song Dynasty treat these rebel soldiers?

On the surface, the Southern Song Dynasty naturally made a high-profile attitude and attracted rebels from all over the world. But in fact, once the rebels came back, they were both used to attack the enemy and worried that they would become bigger.

The result is either to be left alone or to be idle, or even to be put to death and to be quickly put.

For example, after Xin Qiji returned to the south, he kept scattering his idleness and his ambitions were not stretched out throughout his life, and he eventually died of worries and anger.

For example, Shandong's Red Coat Army was originally a rebel army that resisted the Jin Dynasty, but after being incorporated by the Southern Song Dynasty, it was suspicious everywhere. In the end, it forced Li Quan to rebel. After Li Quan surrendered to Mongolia, Shandong, which was originally a tug-of-war area, gradually turned to Mongolia.

In history, Xin Qiji, Li Quan and Yang Miaozhen should have been the pioneers of the Southern Song Dynasty's recovery of their hometowns, but in the end they were all jealous and harmed by the Southern Song Dynasty. In this case, wouldn't the passionate patriots in the world be too cold? Who would have to work hard for the Southern Song Dynasty?

Even if there is no correct strategy, and only knows passive defense, he dares not mobilizes the masses, and hates the masses' enthusiasm for fighting the enemy, and is afraid of them to death.

Such a Southern Song government, no matter how long it resists, will eventually perish.

Meng Jiucheng naturally knew the tricks of the Southern Song Dynasty court, which may also be a common problem of the feudal ruling class. Therefore, he temporarily lowered his attitude and received support, but he still had to rely on self-reliance as his ultimate goal.

In the back house, several wine and food were already arranged on the table, and the couple sat down to drink and talk.

"How many troops are Menglang going to dispatch to help Song court to relieve the threat from Huaixi?" Yang Miaozhen respected his husband and asked about military operations again.

The Red Turban Army occupied Haizhou, leaving the Jin army free of harassment from the Jin army in the Huaidong Song Dynasty, and bought time and convenience for Ying Chunzhi and other pro-war factions to strengthen border defense.

In view of this, Li Yu hopes that the Red Turban Army can take action in Huaixi, in order to achieve the same effect.

In Meng Jiucheng's opinion, there is no need to mobilize too many people in this operation. Two camps and more than 6,000 people are enough.

Because he wanted to fight with Peng Yibin's troops, the Red Turban Army mainly dispatched artillery support to attack the Jin army in Suzhou and Pizhou.

If the battle goes smoothly, it will not only meet Li Yu's requirements, but also threaten Xuzhou and support Liu Erzu's resistance from the side.

"Peng Yibin has tens of thousands of troops, plus our army's artillery, there are not many Jin troops in Su and Pi, so it is very certain to win." Meng Jiucheng held a dish to his wife and said slowly: "In this way, it is reasonable for all parties."

"Who will the territory that was captured?" Yang Miaozhen heard that it was a joint operation, so she naturally thought of the distribution of the results.

"No one has to worry about anyone." Meng Jiucheng smiled and patted his wife's hand, saying, "It's fragrant when it's far away, it's smelly when it's close. It's not necessarily a good thing to be close to Song. The direction we continue to expand the territory and attack the city is in the north, in the west, not in the south."

To the north is Qingzhou, Zizhou, and to the west are Yimeng mountain towns such as Laiwu and Yiyuan. Once Liu Erzu was defeated, the Red Turban Army would immediately enter this area, deploy defenses and resist, and protect the west side of the base from threats.

Yang Miaozhen pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "It turns out that Menglang has already made plans, and I think it makes sense. Stay away from it, so as not to find fault with the Song Dynasty."

Meng Jiucheng smiled, and he was exactly what he planned in his heart.

Historically, there were many rebels who defected to the Southern Song Dynasty, but they could be stationed in Song areas such as Chuzhou, Lianshui, or close to Song areas, but there was no good result.

Perhaps because of the reason for being too close, the Southern Song Dynasty court sent officials to supervise and control, or used money and food as a driver, or divided and disintegrated, or instigated each other to attack, causing many conflicts between the various rebel armies and constant accidents.

Peng Yibin led his army to fight in Shandong, which was far away, so he did not make the Song Dynasty suspicious. He was finally defeated by the Mongolian army, but he was still a hero, surpassing the rebel leaders who fought in the internal strife and rebel.

Therefore, Meng Jiucheng had this idea and established his own base, because he was worried that the Song court would also use messy measures against the Red Turban Army.

Song Ting really had no commendable treatment or practices for military generals.

King Yue was loyal to the country, but was killed by Emperor Gaozong by Qin Hui at Fengboting;

Meng Gong, a master of mobile defense in the Southern Song Dynasty, was also worried and afraid of death because of the suspicion of the court;

The most tragic person is probably Han Tuozhou, who strongly advocated the Kaixi Northern Expedition.

Not to mention anything else, just look at the three major things that Han Tuozhou did in his life, one was to crack down on Neo-Confucianism, the other was to worship Yue and demote Qin, and the third was to Kaixi Northern Expedition. Meng Jiucheng admired it very much.

Although the preparations were not sufficient, such as the generals were not in place, the soldiers were neglected in training, and the betrayal of the Song Dynasty by Wu Xi, deputy envoy of the Propaganda and Fu of Sichuan, ended in failure in Kaixi's Northern Expedition.

But this should be attributed to Han Tuozhou's personal ability, and it cannot be said that he is a disaster to the country and the people.

And how did the surrender faction of the Southern Song Dynasty do it? Assassinated Han Tuozhou and gave his head to the Jin Kingdom for peace talks.

Since ancient times, He Rong has had great power, but he has never heard of a letter to be able to settle the border. Such a despicable and humiliating approach is enough to make people feel heartbroken.

As for the Song Dynasty's history, he listed him as a treacherous minister and was listed with Qin Hui and Jia Sidao, Meng Jiucheng seriously suspected that it was the result of the whitewashing and modification of the Neo-Confucian scholars and the surrender faction in order to cover up.

For example, Lizong, recognized as the king of the fallen country, was unlucky in the Southern Song Dynasty since then. Shi Miyuan illegally assassinated Han Tuozhou and later forged an edict to depose it. The real treacherous minister was not seen how the Neo-Confucian scholars criticized him at that time and descendants, and he did not list the biography of the treacherous ministers!

The death of Han Tuozhou deeply reflects the cowardice, despicability and evil of the Southern Song court. It is no surprise that the Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed decades later.

In order to cover up his despicable behavior, the culprits who murdered Han Tuozhou tampered with the "real records" of the historian at that time, and turned them into unforgivable treacherous ministers, finding remarks for the murder.

In contrast, the attitude of the Jin people towards Han Tuozhou at that time was quite respectful. After receiving Han Tuozhou's head, they specially buried him with a grand funeral and gave him the posthumous title of "Zhongmi", saying that he was "loyal to the country and misunderstanding to the body". This means that he considered too much for the country and too little for himself.

With so many insights, Meng Jiucheng wanted to serve the country with loyalty and righteousness, but he still wanted to keep his strength in his hands. He gave Song Ting, and sooner or later, these bastards were defeated.
Chapter completed!