Han Shizu

Chapter 436
"Your Majesty, how does this need to be changed?" Grand Marshal Shang Hongqian stood up and said directly: "Since the Khitan people are undergoing such a major change, it is a good opportunity for our army to advance without fighting. , At the right time, the Northern Expedition to Khitan, taking advantage of the transition from the old to the new, recaptured the Youyun Zhuzhou in one fell swoop, the danger of Yanshan Mountain, sent troops out of the Great Wall, and accomplished an incomparable feat!"

Since Shi Hongzhao, Shang Hongqian has been in the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Forbidden Army for three years. On weekdays, he basically acts as a mascot honestly and does not participate in the imperial court's strategic decision-making.But at this kind of enlarged military and political meeting, Liu Chengyou still let him attend and gave him the right to speak.

But when his words fell, Wang Pu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, stood up immediately, and said a little excitedly: "Your Majesty, I think that Shang Dianshuai's proposal is unacceptable. Khitan must have no power to look south at this time. Immediately transfer the troops to the south, turn to attack the puppet Tang, seize Huainan in one fell swoop, and take all the land in the north of the river, and then plan to look north!"

"Wang Shangshu's words are wrong!" At this time, Wang Yin, the commander of the Xingjie Army, also stood up and said, "Now the Imperial Army in Tokyo is marching north, the Hebei Army has assembled, and the northern garrison is ready to fight. In such a situation Next, how much money, how much time, and how much physical strength and combat power will be wasted if we recklessly change the direction of the battle?"

"Instead of this, Mo Ruo will take advantage of the trend and go northward to the end, and take back my northern border defense point in one fell swoop!"

The military generals in the palace, besides Wang Yin, also included Du Hanhui, the commander of the Wujie Army.

Han Tong, the commander of the iron cavalry army, followed up with his speech, supporting the battle against Liao.In the eyes of this general, it is rare to have such a good opportunity to attack Liao, and he must not miss it.

Seeing that the military officials were full of excitement, Fan Zhi couldn't help standing up, and supported Wang Pu: "You generals have oversimplified the situation, and now it is still unknown where the Khitan situation is and what the enemy's situation is. , how can you easily talk about war!"

However, Shang Hongqian couldn't hear this, and stared at Fan Zhi with a sharp tone: "Fan Xianggong questioned my commander's ignorance of military strategy? Now hundreds of thousands of troops are heading towards Hebei, isn't it for war? Your Majesty and the court, all of you The soldiers of the army are all ready for a big battle with the Khitans. The Khitans are weak and our army is strong, how can we not fight?"

It has never been discovered that Shang Hongqian has such eloquence.Seeing that the dispute was a bit fierce, Feng Dao came out to smooth things over for fear of hurting the peace: "You generals have the courage to fight and the will to resist the enemy, which is the blessing of the country. But the matter of fighting is related to the national economy and the people's livelihood, so we need to be cautious. The old minister thinks that if you can not fight, then you don't fight, why don't you just sit back and watch the changes, wait for the situation to settle, and find a safe strategy."

Well, Mr. Feng simply suggested not to fight. Of course, Liu Chengyou pretended not to hear this remonstrance.

At this time, Wang Pu bowed and bowed, and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, gentlemen, the national policy that the great man upheld before was originally 'first south and then north', to flatten all the countries, and then gather the strength of the whole country to fight against Khitan in the north. .I have accumulated for three years, originally to attack the puppet Tang Dynasty, take all the land in Huainan, and then go north and south. If it weren't for the Khitan invasion to the south, the army would have already occupied the north of the river, and there is no way to prepare for the war in Hebei."

"The army's march to the north was originally a contingency move. Now that Khitan is in a mess and the troubles in the north have disappeared, it is time to bring the country's strategy back on track and manage the south calmly. Otherwise, your majesty's previous efforts to target the southern country would have been in vain. ?”

"Now, the Tang army has seized the land of Chu. They are powerful on the surface, arrogant and lazy, and they are actually trapped in the quagmire. If you don't take advantage of it to distract other lands, it will not be easy to find such a good opportunity in the future. And, Your Majesty It is hard to hide military opportunities in today's big discussions between the north and the south. Against our dynasty, the puppet Tang Dynasty will also take precautions, no matter how difficult it is to find opportunities for surprise attacks, the effect of surprise troops!"

Wang Pu's remarks made Liu Chengyou and even the officials fall into thinking.But at this time, Tao Gu, a member of Zhongshushe, suddenly said: "Wang Shangshu's so-called strategy of 'first south and then north' was originally concerned about the strength of the Khitan, which would be difficult to deal with, so he wanted to take the easy and then attack the difficult, first calm the weak and then attack the difficult Strong."

"But now!" Tao Gu glanced at Wang Pu, and the corner of his mouth raised an uncomfortable arc: "The Khitan people are in civil strife, and they sent a great fighter to the big man, so they just give up. Why don't you take advantage of the situation and go north and take back Yanshan in one fell swoop? In order to avoid the danger, keep the Khitan people out of the pass, and then Xu Tu south. "North first, then south", is it not feasible to control the strong enemy, and then calmly weaken the weak? Could it be that the big Han must be confined to the so-called "first south" Post-North' strategy?"

Tao Gu's words were already a little bitter, even Liu Chengyou didn't frown.Tao Gu's words sounded like they did make some sense.Strategic decision-making is only a basic policy, which can be adjusted at any time, and it is the wise man's action to make the best use of the situation.

As for Shang Hongqian, he couldn't help clapping his hands: "Tao Sheren, this is what I have said in my heart! You can fight wherever it is easy to fight, wherever it is convenient!"

If you think about it carefully, if you can really take advantage of the situation and go northward, regain the entire territory of Youyan Zhuzhou, and re-establish a solid northern defense line.Then, not only is it a big improvement for his status and prestige, after curbing the threat from the north, it is not a good thing to calmly flatten the southern countries without worrying about the future?
First south and then north is the product of the situation. If it is possible to reverse the overall strategic situation, why not try it?
The [-] Khitan army mutinied on the way to the south, the emperor was killed, and the new king succeeded.Such a good opportunity may be difficult to come across once in a hundred years.Wouldn't it be a pity if I missed it?
Various thoughts flashed through my mind, and I have to say that Liu Chengyou was really moved at this time.

"Furthermore, the ultimate goal of Wang Shangshu's strategy of first going south and then going north is still to concentrate forces to deal with the powerful Khitan in the north. Now that the situation has changed and the situation is right, take advantage of the situation and attack Liao to eliminate its troubles. Why bother to give up and go ahead Seek far away, abandon the north and go south?"

The more Tao Gu said, the more confident his expression became, it was obviously aimed at Wang Pu.And there is one very important reason for his performance like this, he is jealous of Wang Pu.

A latecomer, because he proposed a so-called "first south, then north" strategy, in the next three years, the entire imperial court, inside and outside, revolved around it.Originally Tao Gu was also supportive, but every time he saw Wang Pu in front of the imperial court, in the hall, pointing out the country and scolding Fang Qiu, he was envious.

Earlier, the emperor wanted to increase the number of chancellors, and the officials pushed him. Tao Gu originally planned to compete, but he was defeated without any suspense.Self-proclaimed senior, but repeatedly surpassed by the younger generation, and seeing Wang Pu, who has won the favor of the emperor with "no merits", almost overwhelmed himself, how can this mentality be balanced.

Therefore, take advantage of this opportunity to express your own strategy, if it succeeds, then Tao Gu's name will definitely be included in the credit book, and a fortune will also be written in the Qingshi Danshu.Moreover, he did not say casually, the situation in the north is such that military opportunities are within reach.And based on Tao Gu's understanding of the Son of Heaven, the lofty ambition to subdue the rivers and mountains had already surged in his heart, and he was likely to agree, and Liu Chengyou's reaction also gave him confidence.

"Tao Sheren's words are wrong!" Wang Pu was refuted by Tao Gu's words, his face was already a little ugly, but in front of the imperial court, he tried his best to suppress his emotions, and said in a deep voice: "Khitan is not an easy enemy, let's fight him rashly It is really unwise to start a strategic decisive battle. Pseudo-Tang is a humble and weak country, the lord is faint and sycophantic, the Jiangbei border is two thousand miles away from us, and we can attack everywhere."

"There are more than a dozen states in Huainan, with millions of people. If you don't fight for it, expand the country, and improve your national strength, why take the risk of gnawing at the hard bones of the north? If the battle fails, all previous efforts will be wasted, and your Majesty will be greatly delayed. Kingdoms, the pace of unifying the world. And the towns are still densely distributed in the world, once the war goes wrong, it is inevitable that there will be unforeseen disasters!"

"Your Majesty!" Wang Pu bowed to Liu Chengyou, "You must not miss the overall situation by trying to be quick!"

"Hehe!" Tao Gu couldn't help but chuckled, "It was you, Wang Shangshu, who first suggested to His Majesty to stop the southern expedition after hearing of Khitan's invasion of the South!"

"Khitan is in disarray, this time, that time!" Wang Pu stared at Tao Gu, and he was not polite.

Tao Gu immediately replied: "Since you know this moment and that moment, why should you insist on the idea of ​​going south?"

"Enough!" Hearing the heated argument of the two ministers, Liu Chengyou finally took a picture of the court case. Although his strength was not strong, it brought an abrupt end to the debate in the hall.

After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou looked at Zheng Renhui: "Zheng Qing is a privy secretary, familiar with military aircraft, and has a reputation for good judgment. What do you think?"

Facing the emperor's instruction, Zheng Renhui was a little surprised. After all, he had been in the Privy Council all along, more like an executor, a toolman, and the emperor could consult him about the country's general plan.

But at this time, when he heard the question, he looked at Tao Gu and Wang Pu, and replied: "Tao and Wang's words are both reasonable and have their merits. The pros and cons have been fully discussed. How to make a decision, please let your majesty decide!"

This question is almost the same as not asking.Liu Chengyou withdrew his gaze, and looked at Wei Renpu who hadn't expressed his opinion yet.

(End of this chapter)