Han Shizu

Chapter 1308 The advantages are too great, the confidence is too strong

In the original tour plan, Emperor Liu went through Hebei once, and after inspecting Wuqing Port, he should go south to Denglai on a dragon boat and go ashore, and then inspect the military, government and people's conditions in Henan.

However, this plan came to an end after Wuqing.One is that Emperor Liu is unwilling to put himself at risk after going out to sea and experiencing the scenery on the sea.

The second is a major change in the situation of the Northern Expedition. When Liaodong arrived, Emperor Liu's mind was completely focused on the war. Luanjia stopped at Yanshan Road, intending to be nearby, supervise and spur, and it would be more convenient to support the soldiers of the Northern Expedition nearby.

Therefore, without a longer delay in Wuqing Port, the camp set out and set off to Youzhou Prefecture.It seems to be a reincarnation, with several changes, and in the end, just like 12 years ago, Emperor Liu drove to Youzhou to supervise the Northern Expedition.

After a long journey, I arrived at Youzhou City on the [-]th day of the eighth month. Although it was a toss-up, I was still able to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the scholars and people of Youzhou.Of course, the war also entered a period of relaxation, which also brought Emperor Liu the mood and interest of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But after all, it was wartime, and all that was needed was simple and meaningful. Emperor Liu just ordered the government to announce to the people of Youzhou to express the emperor's best wishes to the subjects of Yanshan, and at the same time, the wartime curfew was lifted for one night.

As for the officials of Yanshan, such as Chu Zhaofu, Song Xiong and other major officials of the chief envoy, they have already met and talked with them in Wuqing. As for the other officials of Youzhou, they simply called together and gave a lecture. , Let them witness the face of the emperor with their own eyes, that's all.

Speaking of which, Emperor Liu had dreamed of Youzhou City for ten years, but this was the second time that Emperor Liu visited in his life.In the past 12 years, the changes in Youzhou City have naturally been enormous. Even the well-informed Emperor Liu felt a sense of refreshment.

The city is still the same city, the main thing that changes is people, scholars, farmers, businessmen.Facts have proved that the development of the city depends on the Han people.

In the past, the development of Youzhou City was greatly suppressed because of the wars and destruction in the early days of the Han Dynasty, and later it was on the front line of the Han and Liao confrontation.

When Youzhou was still under the rule of Yan Fan, its population was less than [-] including the army.However, after the first Northern Expedition was successful, it officially returned to the imperial court, the surrounding defenses were strengthened, and the threat of border troubles was greatly reduced. It was as if the invisible shackles on the body were lifted, and Youzhou achieved leapfrog development.

As the capital of Yanshan, with the support of the imperial court, it has become the undisputed political, military, and economic center of northern Xinjiang. Coupled with the advantages of geographical transportation, it has become the basis for the rapid development of Youzhou.

Therefore, when Emperor Liu came to Youzhou again, what he saw was a prosperous scene with dense population, convergence of business and travel, and prosperity of all industries.Chu Zhaofu previously reported that by the beginning of the eighth year of Kaibao, the permanent population of Youzhou had climbed to more than 21, which had returned to the peak stage under the rule of the Liao Kingdom, and there was still a huge room for growth.

Of course, because of the Northern Expedition, it is impossible for Youzhou to not be affected at this time. On the contrary, it has been affected the most.A large number of human, financial and material resources are all tilted towards the war under the leadership of the government, which also caused a shortage of civilian materials.

The most intuitive manifestation is that the price of daily necessities such as grain, rice, oil, salt, noodles, meat, cloth and firewood has risen, making the lives of ordinary people a little sad. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. The hunger and thirst of the market stimulated more merchants to come. With great enthusiasm, they tried their best to transport a large part of supplies to Youzhou City under the limited transportation capacity, which met the living needs of Youzhou scholars and people.

This kind of prosperity is not what Chu Zhaofu and other officials want to see. The Han people have a strong tolerance, but there is a limit after all.It’s okay for half a year, barely enough for one year, and you will fall into depression in the second year. If you wait a little longer, the people’s livelihood will inevitably be difficult.
In order to support this huge Northern Expedition, it is impossible for the imperial court to maintain the massive consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line while ensuring the harmonious and stable life of the people in the rear.

Therefore, the officials in power are not willing to see the big man maintain a state of large-scale war for a long time. The closer he is to the battlefield, the more worried the officials are.

This is the case in Yanshan Road. Even in the past more than 20 years, the people of Youyan have faced the turmoil of the current situation for nearly half of the time, and have suffered from the negative impact of wars.

However, having gotten used to the good days in recent years, the people have become accustomed to life, and their expectations for life have also increased, and their ability to bear has also dropped significantly compared to the past.If it is really due to the war to return to the original turbulent days, no one wants to. If that is the case, one has to be mentally prepared for public dissatisfaction.

Regarding these concerns, Chu Zhaofu had mentioned them to Emperor Liu. He had some objections to the Northern Expedition from time to time, but he was just a careful reminder. If Emperor Liu really cared about the livelihood of the Han people in the war era, he had to take these into consideration.

Chu Zhaofu and Zhao Pu were officials from the same shogunate. They were both recommended by Liu Ci, the late Huayinhou (a posthumous present in the first year of Kaibao), so they were naturally talented and knowledgeable.

However, it was precisely because of Liaodong's record and the realization of the basic goal of the Northern Expedition that Chu Zhaofu dared to make similar suggestions to Emperor Liu.

Otherwise, if the fierce battle ahead is in full swing and there is no breakthrough in the situation, Chu Zhaofu really dare not make these "negative" remonstrances to Emperor Liu, lest he give a weak and pedantic impression.

As for Emperor Liu, most of the time, he was calm and rational. He had the experience of launching so many large-scale wars in the past, and he also had a personal inspection this time, so he had a clearer understanding of the people's livelihood. It doesn't make sense, he also listened to it.

Therefore, under the initial situation of Liaodong, although Emperor Liu still had the idea of ​​continuing to march, he would take all the northeast in order to completely destroy the rule of Liao.But from the bottom of his heart, he might as well just give up and end this war, but it's not obvious.

This Han-Liao war has reached the current level. The big Han is reporting frequent successes and taking advantage of it. The Liao Kingdom is at a loss.

The end of the war does not depend on the unilateral wishes of the big man.As far as the Liao Kingdom is concerned, Liaodong has been lost. The number of casualties on each front will exceed 200,000, and the population is even more difficult to count.

If the war ends with the current situation, then the Liao Kingdom will lose the territory of the entire Northeast and Western Regions, and lose half of its population and army. Not to mention that once it returns to the pre-liberation period, it will at least be beaten back to its original form as a nomadic empire.After suffering such a big loss, how can he bear the humiliation?
From Yeluxian's standpoint, he, the emperor, has been in power for less than a year, and the originally powerful and huge Liao Empire has come to such a miserable situation, how can he swallow his anger.How could his position be secure when there was already a dispute over the succession of the throne.

On the other hand, after the end of the war, let the big man recuperate for two or three years, stockpile food and train troops, digest the fruits of victory, and recover from the negative impact of the war. When the Northern Expedition resumes, it may be a real big move out of the fortress. Straight to Linhuang.

The situation between Han and Liao has developed to the current stage, and the future of Liao is destined to decline. This is the general trend. If there are no earth-shattering changes, there will be no surprises in the end of Liao.

There is no way, past history has proved that when a unified Central Plains empire rises, coupled with a powerful emperor, the nomadic forces are doomed to decline.And Emperor Liu's Han Empire will continue to prove this historical law.

Of course, so far, it is only a meager intention of Emperor Liu to stop fighting, and even this idea is just a casual thought.

In any case, the big man is far from being unable to support him, and the strong family background he has accumulated in the past allows him to have enough capital to continue this war.

In contrast, if the people of the Han Dynasty are under pressure to make a living, then how difficult it will be for the herdsmen of the Liao Kingdom, I am afraid that they will encounter a crisis of survival.

This point, through some intelligence, can already see its appearance.The time Emperor Liu chose to launch this war was too unfriendly to the Liao Kingdom, and its domestic agricultural and animal husbandry production was severely damaged. In autumn and winter, what kind of living conditions would the tribesmen under the rule of the Liao Kingdom on the northern grasslands have? is predictable.

As for the Dahan, even though the entire north was delayed and affected production and farming because of this war, there is still the entire southeast, the two lakes, and Sichuan and Shu.

(End of this chapter)