Han Shizu

Chapter 1255
That night, Emperor Liu did not stay in the Kunming Hall, and returned to the Chongzheng Hall after having dinner with Dafu.The officials in Beijing knew that the emperor was returning to Beijing, so they couldn't wait to come to see him, but they were all rejected.

However, no one else was there, Zhao Pu, the prime minister, had prepared a large number of memorials to be presented to Emperor Liu.He specially worked overtime in the Zhengshitang, and then he was summoned by Emperor Liu.

"See Your Majesty! See Your Highness the Prince!" In the Chongzheng Hall, Zhao Pu greeted the ceremony, and the Prince Liu Yang was also called by Emperor Liu.

"Let's get back on your feet!" Emperor Liu motioned for the two to sit down with a peaceful face, and said to Zhao Pu: "During the time I was not in Beijing, Zhao Qing was in charge of the government, and the government was running in an orderly manner. It's a human!"

Hearing this, the corners of Zhao Pu's brows furrowed, he stood up and cupped his hands, and said modestly, "Thank you for your trust!"

"Sit down, you don't need to be so restrained!" It was probably because I haven't seen him for a long time, and I'm a little unfamiliar. Seeing him stiff, Emperor Liu smiled more and more gently, and said: "You haven't had dinner yet! Yan Tuo, tell Shangshan Bureau, Prepare some hot food and drink!"

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Pu felt honored, such care from the emperor was rarely seen in court.

As for Zhao Pu, he timely reported some important matters handled by the Political Affairs Hall during Emperor Liu's absence. Emperor Liu was not picky and listened carefully.

In fact, Zhao Pu is the prime minister, and it is still somewhat difficult to pick out mistakes in the government affairs he handles.After a while, the servants put out the prepared wine and dishes, and the three monarchs and ministers sat down.

Since Emperor Liu had already eaten, he was only drinking, and at the same time asked what he really cared about: "How is the preparation for the Northern Expedition going?"

Of course Zhao Pu had already dealt with this matter, and upon hearing the question, he answered calmly: "Your Majesty, after obtaining the imperial edict, I summoned my staff and related government departments to start making arrangements. So far, the Financial Secretary has allocated 5 million funds to use In order to purchase materials such as quilts, tents, rain gear, etc., the Ministry of War has urgently arranged to build ordnance, and dispatched it to the north in various arsenals. Materials such as military rations and fodder have also begun to be dispatched.”

Listening to Zhao Pu's capable report, Emperor Liu subconsciously felt relieved, and while nodding his head, he asked: "I know that the edict is a little hasty, so there are no problems or difficulties?"

Upon hearing the question, Zhao Pu still smiled calmly, and replied: "Of course there are still problems! The Privy Council is already planning to send troops, but the scale of the Northern Expedition and the number of troops have not yet been decided. How much will the imperial court need to raise and dispatch?" The military supplies have not yet been clarified. The current preparations are mostly prepared by using internal and external official warehouses.

In addition, supplying the army for the Northern Expedition and transshipment of food and equipment required labor, and how many strong men would be conscripted by the various Daozhou states required careful planning.In addition, it is time for spring plowing, and a large number of recruits will definitely delay the farming season and cause instability among the people, so the decree has not yet been issued to recruit on a large scale."

Listening to his explanation, Emperor Liu nodded and asked, "Isn't it too hasty for a month?"

Zhao Pu shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, as long as you mobilize troops, large-scale conscripts are unavoidable, and the impact on farming and civil affairs is also unavoidable, but the price is high or low. Thanks to the imperial court's long-standing reserve system, ministers and planners After careful planning, based on the current warehouses of the whole country of Han Dynasty, under the premise of meeting the normal consumption of the government and the people, as long as the dispatch is proper, it can supply the consumption of 300,000 troops for a year! Especially in Youzhou, Taiyuan, Datong and other important towns, it will be maintained for a longer period of time. Grain reserves of millions of stones."

Emperor Liu's eyes brightened obviously, and he showed a satisfied smile. He turned his head to Prince Liu Yang and said, "Without these family backgrounds, how can I have the confidence to launch a large-scale Northern Expedition!"

"This is also the result of His Majesty's painstaking management of dozens!" Zhao Pu said.

"I heard that the Northern Expedition had some repercussions in the court!" Emperor Liu took another sip of wine and said leisurely: "I just received Song Qi's memorial before I returned to the city. To prevent it, he believes that the situation in the Liao Kingdom is unclear, and the northern expedition has been rushed, so he is not optimistic about the prospect of sending troops."

"If people's hearts are not stable, and if their thinking is not unified, things will definitely go wrong, and the execution will be rough, and chaos will easily occur. You are the prime minister who controls all the ministries, courts, and Daozhou prefectures and counties. Many things depend on you. What are you? view?"

Emperor Liu's tone was very flat, and he couldn't hear any emotions or anger. It was also difficult for Zhao Pu to see anything from his face, but he didn't dare to be negligent in the face of inquiries. He just confessed his own considerations:

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Song's concerns can be called old-fashioned, but he is a bit over-concerned. The current situation in the north is certainly not clear, but compared with this, can there be a more favorable time to send troops? Even if there is, we need to wait until when?
Xue Ji Guogong has a passage in "History of Three Dynasties", which is still fresh in my memory: Admiring wisdom, but hiding flaws deeply, it is like the way of heaven and the heart, it is difficult to resist, you must know that the opportunity must not be missed, and the time will never come.

Regarding the cost of sending troops, there is no need to avoid this point. As long as the strategy of the Northern Expedition does not change, soldiers, horses, money, food, and corvees must be fully prepared at any time, and bloodshed and casualties are even more inevitable.

Preparations for the war this spring will certainly affect farming, but for the Liao Kingdom, it will also bring them trouble, and compared to the big men, their troubles and difficulties will be even greater!

At the time of the Northern Expedition, the north and the south had not yet been united, and the big Han was able to defeat the Khitan and regain Guanshan with a look of contempt. But now, the big Han has gathered together for another ten years.

Although the dispatch of troops due to the changes in the Liao Kingdom was hasty, the preparations for the Liao war have been carried out for many years, and they are just waiting for a suitable time. Therefore, the haste is only temporary!

Before the Great Han Dynasty, there was a consumption of the Southern Expedition, and the mobilization of soldiers, labor, money and food was limited to the southwest and Huguang!In the past few years, the Liao Kingdom also suffered from the Western Expedition!
To sum up, I believe that when the throne of the Liao Kingdom is changing, no matter how the situation develops, it is a rare opportunity for the big man to send troops! "

Seeing the eloquent Zhao Pu, Emperor Liu's attitude became more and more amiable. It can be said that every word he said was in Emperor Liu's heart.Of course, the suspicion of deliberate pandering is not ruled out.

"Zhao Qing's opinion won my heart!" Emperor Liu expressed his approval, but sighed: "Unfortunately, there are still too few people in the imperial court who have such an opinion!"

Zhao Pu said: "Eleven years have passed since the last Northern Expedition, and there has been peace for a long time. If there is another Northern Expedition, it will require more labor and expedition. If you mobilize too few troops, it will be difficult to defeat the enemy. If you mobilize too many troops, you will lose a lot. The officials have some concerns. , understandable!"

"If you worry about everything and worry about risks at every step, then I will not be able to make it to where I am today, and the big man will not be as prosperous as he is today!" Emperor Liu said coldly, making Liu Yang and Zhao Pu more careful, and they dared not move their chopsticks. .

After pondering for a while, Emperor Liu said: "On the way back to Beijing, I received the latest news that the new emperor of the Liao Kingdom has been established and has won the support of most people. The new ruler of the Liao Kingdom seems to be quite capable. He is very good at attracting people's hearts, if the big man continues to procrastinate, give him enough time, appease the hearts of the people, and straighten out military and political affairs, then in the future, if he wants to continue the Northern Expedition, the price he will pay will be even greater!"

Hearing this, Zhao Pu was obviously surprised: "So fast?"

"Therefore, we should not only consider our own difficulties, but also base ourselves on the overall situation and focus on the future!" Emperor Liu said with a sigh of relief: "It's only been a few years, and we've started to be timid. If we wait another ten years, I'm afraid it will be even worse." I don’t want to start the Northern Expedition anymore!”

"Your Majesty is very worried!" Zhao Pu said.

"In this way, let's keep the notice. Tomorrow's court meeting, officials of the third rank and above and the chief officials of various ministries and departments will enter the palace to discuss matters. I will have a good talk with them!" Emperor Liu ordered.

Zhao Pu obeyed.

Emperor Liu looked at Liu Yang again, and ordered: "Tomorrow, you will walk around the Sanya Forbidden Army on my behalf, inspect the soldiers, see how the morale is, and then ask for me. After staying in the capital for a long time, how dare you not?" Dare to go to the battlefield, are you willing to risk your life for a big man, and do you still have the ambition to make meritorious deeds!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)