Han Shizu

Chapter 876 The North-South Strategic Battle 2.0
The situation in the north changed drastically, the conflict between Han and Liao, and even the war broke up the already fragile peace between Han and Liao in an instant. Looking back, the stability of the seven years was like a bubble, and the so-called peace agreement was even more a joke.

Because the Liao army suddenly invaded Yanmen Pass, it caused a lot of discussion in the Tokyo court, and everyone felt offended, regardless of literature or martial arts. It was a feeling of being offended.

At this time, the monarchs and ministers of the Great Han Dynasty were devoting themselves to marching into Jiangbiao and unifying the south.And the battle in Yanmen was like pouring cold water on your head. Although there was not much water, it was cool enough to the bottom of your heart, and it was enough to draw Liu Chengyou's attention back to the north again. But this time, it was not so cold. It was easy to look away.

In fact, he was a little surprised and puzzled by the sudden attack of the Liao Kingdom. He was surprised by how quickly he turned his face, and he sent [-] cavalry when he was suspicious.

Fortunately, Dahan's intelligence work on Liao has achieved considerable results over the years. After some twists and turns, the Military Intelligence Department reported it.Although there is no too detailed information, but to be clear, the Liao envoy Xiao Husi who returned from the north reported something to the Liao Lord. On the second day of his meeting, the Liao army went south.

With the intelligence of the emperor and ministers of the Han Dynasty, he naturally fixed his eyes on Xiao Husi immediately and made a judgment.Liu Chengyou immediately ordered Wu De envoy Li Chongju to investigate, and from officials who had contact with Xiao Husi, he learned of Xiao Husi's performance in going south, which was clearly to secretly spy on the truth of the big man.

The same thing, in the eyes of different people, sees the results differently.As the northern privy secretary of the Liao Kingdom, Xiao Husi certainly had a certain vision, so he felt the threat of the great Han from what he had seen and heard along the way, and the Liao Emperor also recognized this point, so he had the next move.

Knowing this, Liu Chengyou was sullen, and immediately ordered that the officials and military officers who received Xiao Husi be demoted and dismissed.They were all the people who had the closest contact with Xiao Husi, yet they didn't even notice the slightest change, even though they had the reason of "traveling in the mountains and rivers and looking at the scenery" as a cover.

Well, those officials who were implicated may feel aggrieved. After all, in order to maintain the harmonious relationship between Han and Liao, the emperor had issued an order to entertain and treat Liao envoys with courtesy.Although they were suspected of being negligent and behaved unwisely, they were still angered by Liu Chengyou in the end.

At the same time, I recalled that when Xiao Husi was in Tokyo, he communicated directly with himself several times, and they all had a very pleasant conversation. Who would have thought that under that kind and humble face, there would be such scheming and hostility. Not aware of anything.

After all, my attention is still on the affairs in the south. For the Liao Kingdom in the north, although I always maintain vigilance and remind myself from time to time, how can I really keep that vigilance in my heart?In addition, in recent years, the Khitan people have indeed been called "safe".

With Liu Chengyou's thinking, supplemented by the analysis of the ministers, the situation was basically clarified very quickly.As for the actions of Wan Zu Kou Dai, although he felt a little strange from it, he can only use "testing" to explain his actions for the time being.

Yang Ye's victory released a lot of the depression that had accumulated in Liu Chengyou's heart. Liu Chengyou was very happy about his bold attack, winning the battle with fewer enemies, and said: "Yang Chonggui became famous here! "

Beheading 1879 people, of which 728 were Khitan people, and the rest of the casualties were not counted among them, and the casualties of themselves were within a thousand people, plus the prisoners, plus the capture, it was a real victory, hearty.The court of the Han Dynasty, and even the people of Tokyo, were very excited and praised him a lot. Under the emperor's instruction, the Department of Xuanwei also came out to work.

However, in this atmosphere, some people still stand up to spoil the fun, saying that Yang Ye has the risk of losing the pass city by attacking rashly, and that he will accomplish his meritorious deeds with the lives of his subordinates, and killing the Liao soldiers may cause a war between the two countries.
For such remarks, Liu Chengyou didn't need to speak, and the privy envoy Chai Rong scolded the censor who made the remarks in public.Later, Cui Zhoudu, the censor of Zuodu, took the initiative to demote the subordinate directly to the local government due to public opinion.

Regarding this, Liu Chengyou just sighed with emotion, after all, there are still many fools and few wise people in this world, people who are ignorant of current affairs and self righteous are everywhere.

For the meritorious soldiers of the Yanmen Great Victory, Liu Chengyou did not hesitate to reward. Yang Ye's title was not promoted, and he was still Naohou, but he added "Jianguo" and promoted Lusu. The eldest son, Yang Yanzhao, bestowed a honorary title, allowing Yang Ye to successfully seal his wife and son.

As for the generals such as Kang Yanze and others under him, they are also rewarded generously, with t-shirts for casualties, gifts for meritorious service dogs, and the most direct behaviors demonstrate the emperor's attitude towards the soldiers who have made meritorious service in this battle.

With an edict of kindness, there was another disturbance in the court in Tokyo. The military officials and generals of the Imperial Army in Beijing submitted their petitions one after another, requesting the emperor to send troops to the Northern Expedition.

Some of the generals of the Han Dynasty were motivated by meritorious deeds, and some were infected by Yang Ye’s victories. Although the unification war is important and deserves credit, since ancient times, it has been foreign wars and the expansion of territory, which can more arouse the blood and pride of people with lofty ideals. What's more, it was the Khitan people who took the initiative to do things this time, and everyone had a certain sense of revenge for the powerful enemy in the north, after all, they had been allowed to run rampant in northern Xinjiang for decades.

For some, it's purely for fun.Among the senior generals of the Forbidden Army, there were also many who expressed their opinions, such as Han Tong, Sun Li, Li Chongjin, Li Jixun and others.

Including Wang Yin, the former deputy commander of the bodyguard department who had been idle for many years, also took the initiative to submit a petition to Liu Chengyou, hoping to join the Northern Expedition.Back then when He Fujin died of illness, the imperial court appointed the commander-in-chief of the north, and the appointment had already been issued. Unfortunately, Wang Yin was arrogant and arrogant, and he was impeached by others, which also angered Liu Chengyou. He also lost his military position as the deputy commander of the guards.

In these years, whether the imperial court was taking Jinghu or destroying Shu, Wang Yin had voluntarily requested to go on an expedition, but Liu Chengyou refused them all. Liu Chengyou's impression of his behavior was really bad.

This time, it was also the last time Wang Yin took the initiative to ask for his life. If he couldn't give another chance, he would not think about it, and spent his old age melancholy.

Among the remaining generals, Murong Yanzhao, Xiang Xun, and Zhao Kuangyin did not express their opinions lightly. They were three politically mature generals, and they knew in their hearts that no matter how active the turmoil was, it would depend on the emperor's attitude.The decision to make the Northern Expedition was the top priority of the imperial court. It required careful discussion and comprehensive planning among the court officials, and it was not an easy decision.

These are all the generals in Beijing, and the local generals, especially the frontier army in Hebei, although the performances have not yet arrived, Liu Chengyou can already predict that his generation is eager to try and serve the country with all their strength.

Against the background of the general's pleading for orders, it was a debate about the strategy of the Han Dynasty, the dispute between the North and the South, which has almost been an issue that has run through the strategic direction of the Han Dynasty since the founding of the country.

In the early years, there was basically no controversy. At that time, the country’s strength was insufficient, and the strategic environment was not good. There were enemies on all sides, and there were many loopholes. Under such circumstances, choosing to attack the south was the most reasonable, least risky, and profitable Highest choice.

Even so, in the fourth year of Qianyou, when the Southern Expedition was imminent, the Liao army gathered troops to go south, and the Huoshendian rebellion, at that time many people proposed the Northern Expedition.Why, in the dilapidated situation of the Northern Cyprus, the big man went up to the monarch and ministers, down to the army and the people, and he lacked a sense of security.

After expanding the land in Huainan and taking Qinfeng to the west, the national power became richer and the army became stronger, and someone suggested the Northern Expedition to Liu Chengyou.Although the Liao Kingdom had been restored for a few years at that time, its politics was unstable, and the clan and nobles rebelled endlessly, which made people see opportunities.

However, after a little thought, Liu Chengyou still refused, and still insisted on the strategy of attacking from the south and defending from the north. Since basic peace can be maintained in the north and enough space is given, then follow the established strategy.

After that, Jinghu was collected, Mengshu was pacified, and it is now.If the situation in the north remains unchanged, then the next step to pacify Jiangnan in one fell swoop will still be an unshakable strategy.

However, this time was different. The Liao Kingdom took the initiative to change and set off a war, breaking the fragile balance between Han and Liao.Once the balance was broken, Liu Chengyou had no choice but to look north seriously, not because his will was shaken, but because the threat from the north had to be taken seriously.

In the imperial court, a strategic dispute between the north and the south was once again set off, and this time, it was not limited to a few civil and military leaders.On the day of May 5th, Liu Chengyou simply issued an edict, ordering civil and military personnel above the fifth rank in Beijing to discuss strategies and discuss going south and north.

This edict also reflected Liu Chengyou's inner entanglement.In the tide of ministers expressing their opinions, Liu Chengyou expressed some emotion to his neighbors: "It has been 11 years since Qianyou, and I am still having a headache about the North-South strategy!"

During the discussion, Liu Chengyou couldn't help thinking. In the original history, when the Northern Song Dynasty pacified the south, until Wuyue offered land, the Liao Kingdom did not have such a big reaction. Why?
After thinking about it for a long time, although I didn't fully understand the reason, I finally got something.

If it is said that in the official history, the end of the troubled times of the Five Dynasties, the foundation stone was officially laid from the establishment of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and the fast lane of unification was embarked.Compared with the current big man, he is only three years ahead of him in all aspects, but after the three years of internal strength cultivation, the gap between them is more than just three years.

In the middle, there was less harm caused by the three rebellions, less chaos of dynasty replacement, and no constraints from the Northern Han Dynasty. It would take half a year to conquer Huaihe River. These made the vitality of the dynasty greatly preserved, and the speed of recovery and development was not the same. .Coupled with Liu Chengyou's painstaking efforts to govern, so that the national strength of the Han Dynasty is so strong that it is far away from the "contemporary period", the pressure on the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom is of course not the same.

In the official history, when the Northern Song Dynasty developed to the level of the Han Dynasty today, the Liao Kingdom also had stable savings for nearly [-] years, and there was no major loss in the Battle of Luancheng, so it was naturally more stable.Moreover, after entering the later period of Yelvjing, the political environment of Liao Kingdom was indeed a bit chaotic, domestic conflicts were repeated and fierce, and he was powerless about Song affairs.

But now, the pressure brought by the great Han to the Liao Kingdom is too strong. If the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom have a sense of urgency, they will never face the Great Han Pingnan and remain indifferent.

(End of this chapter)