Han Shizu

Chapter 877
In the Chongzheng Hall, the chancellors and generals gathered together. This is the second imperial meeting chaired by Emperor Liu Chengyou himself.Including Li Gu, who originally planned to leave for Yangzhou to prepare for Pingnan affairs, but because of the turmoil in Beijing, he slowed down his departure and stayed in Kaifeng.

However, during this great court debate, Li Gu has never expressed his views, and has been silently watching.The reason is also very simple. The former emperor has put his ass in the south. From the perspective of his personal interests, there is no doubt that he supports Xianping Nan. Ignore the threat from the north.

Of course, the ministers who share the authority of the Han Dynasty are also divided into two factions.

A group of ministers headed by Fan Zhi and Xue Juzheng strongly suggested defending from the north and attacking from the south, trying their best to restore relations with the Liao Kingdom, and follow the established plan until the south of the Yangtze River arrives before going north.Similar thoughts and remarks originated from the emperor Liu Chengyou.

Of course, under the current situation, the emperor's attitude has become impartial, and no one can guess his true intentions.However, the reason why Fan Zhi and other ministers firmly supported the southward movement was that in their view, the importance of unification was far more important than resisting foreign aggression.As long as the south is unified, the imperial court can also free up its hands to focus on the troubles in the north. By then, with China's strong foundation, it will be enough to control the Liao Dynasty.

It was a group of ministers and generals headed by the privy envoy Chai Rong who supported the Northern Expedition and solved the Khitan crisis first.More than a month ago, Chai Rong was still discussing the affairs of Pingnan with the emperor and making preparations for it. Why did he suddenly change course and end directly, clearly expressing his attitude?

The reason lies in the change of the Liao army this time. Chai Rong is a person with a strong sense of crisis. Before that, the Han and Liao lived in peace, and the well water did not interfere with the river water, so that the big man could calmly attack the south.Now that the Liao Kingdom has shown its hostility and brazenly mobilized its troops, and its stinging eyes, it has made people like Chai Rong feel more deeply about the thorn in their backs.

The reality is that the power touches southern Sainan, and the Liao army can use this to enter the southern border on a large scale. Even if there are strong soldiers guarding the north, how can the huge Youji Plain cover everything? The so-called perfect line of defense is relatively weak. of.

If the Liao Kingdom goes south in a large scale, it is basically impossible to destroy the great Han.However, when the two countries fought in Youji, it was likely to smash it to pieces, causing serious damage to the local army and civilians. The early Han Dynasty was able to fight against Liao with the determination to destroy Hebei. Can it bear such losses now?

Even if it is possible, if the country is strong enough to be able to preemptively strike and strive for strategic advantages, there is no need to passively defend.Tranquility in the north depends on struggle.

In a similar view, Chai Rong made the most of Liu Chengyou, and put forward a sober and realistic goal. The Northern Expedition was not to destroy the Liao Dynasty, but to capture the risk of Yanshan and completely drive the Liao army out of the pass.After making up the huge loopholes in the northern defense line, whether it is to continue to fight the Liao army or restart the unified war, the big man will be more calm and able to do a job with ease.

The idea proposed by Chai Rong is not too ambitious, but also feasible, and it has touched the heartstrings of many generals with good military vision, so there is a lot of support.

Of course, for Pingnan, there are not no supporters in the army. After all, compared with the powerful Beiliao, the small countries in the south are better off. temptation.

There is no need to think too much about the opinions of the generals and schools located in the south. Most people still do not have a high-level vision and a vision based on the overall situation. They will look at things from their own perspective and express their opinions.

Among the senior generals in Beijing, it was Zhao Kuangyin who expressed his support for the southern expedition in a somewhat ambiguous manner. His opinion was to carry out the Pingnan on the basis of maintaining the defense in the north and repairing the relationship as much as possible.Although he has reservations, his inclinations are obvious.

There are still a large number of people who remain neutral, with their eyes and ears focused on the emperor, and they will bow their heads and obey the emperor's final decision-making.

As for the analysis and comparison of the national strength of the two sides, with the support of the Ministry of Intelligence, half of the Liao country can be seen. As for the situation of the big man, the ministers in charge of governing the country also have a clear understanding.All in all, the current strength of the big man is enough to fight against Liao, and he has the confidence and confidence to win.

The memorials on the royal case of the Chongzheng Palace have been changed again, and they are neatly arranged. Apart from the recent memorials on the North and South affairs published by Beijing Zhongwenwu, it is not surprising that the generals in the north are calling for war.From Chenliu Wang An Shenqi down and all the military envoys, one after another called for battle.Compared with the armies of Tokyo, the Southwest, and the South who made a lot of money under the strategy of the Southern Expedition, the soldiers in the north are hungry wolves.Even if the Liao Kingdom in the north is a hard bone, it dares to speak.

Everyone arrived without any noise, and the atmosphere was serious as usual. Another debate was faintly brewing between everyone's eyes fixed on each other.Following the servant's singing, Liu Chengyou strode in, and all the officials stood up and saluted.

"Let's all be free!" Sitting down, Liu Chengyou looked around and waved his hands neatly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Looking at the officials, Liu Chengyou took out a secret report and said: "There is news from Youzhou that Zhao Siwan, the number one general under King Yan's command, has turned his back on him and secretly communicated with the Liao Kingdom. "

As soon as his words fell, all the officials present changed their faces. After more than ten years, the importance of Youzhou to the great man does not need to be emphasized.Chai Rong's body was tense, his face was anxious, and he asked in a slightly groggy manner: "Your Majesty, what is the unknown result?"

Facing the concerned eyes of all the ministers, Liu Chengyou's answer made them breathe a sigh of relief: "King Lai Yan was vigilant, detected his plot in advance, and took decisive measures to arrest Zhao Siwan and his rebels, calm internal troubles, and stabilize the morale of the army. Now Take active precautions to defend against the Liao army!"

"From this point of view, the change of the Liao army in the direction of Yanmen can also be explained. This must be a feigned division, attracting the attention of the imperial court and Youzhou, and intending to deliver a fatal blow to Youzhou. If you let them If it succeeds, the situation in the north will inevitably deteriorate, and your majesty's ten-year plan will suffer a major setback! Fortunately, God bless the great man, and the Khitan plot has not been succeeded!" Murong Yanzhao said with emotion.

After returning to Tokyo, Xiang Xun was appointed by Liu Chengyou as the commander of the Mabu Army of the bodyguards and was in charge of the daily management of the bodyguards department after he returned to Tokyo. This was somewhat unexpected.After all, according to the emperor's previous urgency, he had the power to destroy the country, even if he wanted to continue to be important to him, he would have to sit idle for a while.

The former Murong Yanzhao came back from pacifying Jinghu, and was still in the position of commander in chief, but was arranged by Liu Chengyou to patrol Hebei for a few months, and Han Tong was in charge of the daily affairs of the commander in front of the palace.

Judging from the appointment of Xiang Xun, the emperor's power seems to have increased. Of course, it is also because he is more confident.Moreover, the authority of the commander-in-chief of the two imperial guards is not as good as it was at the beginning of the country. The generals of all the subordinate armies have the power to directly listen to the heavens and report military affairs.

As for Zhao Kuangyin, he was also transferred to the Department of Guards as the deputy commander, and the two continued to form a team.At this time, Xiang Xun, who was also seated there, said: "The plan of the Liao Kingdom will fail. Fearing that it will be angry, they will raise their troops and directly send troops to attack Youzhou. There may be a big war, but no matter what, the court should be fully alert and prepare for war!"

"No!" At this time, Fan Zhi shook his head: "It's midsummer, the weather is hot and unbearable, and it is not the time for the Liao army to mobilize troops! I think that since it was defeated, King Yan might not dare to act forcefully if he was prepared. Soldiers. The former has news that this time the Liao army's southern bandits are just a part of the division, and their territory has not been greatly disturbed. I think that the Liao Kingdom is not ready for a full-scale war with the big Han!"

"So, Fan Xiang still has illusions about the peace of Han and Liao?" After Fan Zhiyan said, Chai Rong got up immediately, and faced Liu Chengyou, his tone was a little fierce: "The great Han has no intention of the Northern Expedition, but the Khitan has the intention of conspiring against me. Second, from the Battle of Yanmen to the conspiracy in Youzhou, we can see his heart. If the soldiers did not use their lives and the King of Yan had the police to defeat his conspiracy, the situation in the northern border of the Han Dynasty would inevitably collapse, putting our dynasty at a strategic disadvantage against the Liao Dynasty.

Facts have proved that because of the strength of the big man, the Liao Kingdom has been deeply afraid and restless.With this northern bandit, with malice in his heart, and a tiger watching him, how can the big man go south with peace of mind, and how can your majesty sleep peacefully.

Since the Liao Kingdom took the initiative to start a war, the only way for the big man to break the situation is to face it head-on, face up to the difficulties, and adopt an aggressive strategy! "

"The words of Prime Minister Chai Shu, I don't agree with you!" Chai Rong was a little blunt, and Fan Zhi was also a hard-tempered person, so he got up immediately and said: "This time, the Liao army obviously started in a hurry and was not prepared enough. The conspiracy against Youzhou This is even more evidence. Your Majesty, I believe that Beiliao may be afraid of the power of the big man, but this change is presumably due to Zhao Siwan. It is a risky gamble to use the hand of the rebel general to seize Youzhou.

Now that the plan has been defeated, how dare you rashly deploy troops again?Moreover, the defeat of Yanmen is enough to shock him. If at this time, the Han Dynasty makes a big move to the north, the Liao Kingdom will definitely invade the country and fight. I hope Your Majesty will think twice! "

"There must be a decisive battle between Han and Liao sooner or later. Now that Liao has shown hostility and tore up the peace agreement, how can the big man be ashamed?" Han Tong couldn't help but said.

Fan Zhi said: "Since it is a decisive battle, it is about the fate of the country, so we should be more cautious. It is better to be late than early, and it is better to delay than rush!"

"The outcome of the Northern Expedition is unpredictable. If there is a mistake, not only will it fail to restore Guanshan Yunshuo's homeland, but it will affect the Han Dynasty's complete flattening of the south and hinder the process of reunification! Whichever is more important, please think carefully and act carefully!" Fan Zhi solemnly He said to Liu Chengyou: "I suggest that you should send envoys to the north to communicate with the Liao Lord, ease the relationship, eliminate this border conflict and misunderstanding, and continue to buy time for the Great Han to settle down!"

"If the threat from the north is not resolved, how can we talk about flattening Jiangnan? Judging from the actions of the Liao Kingdom this time, they are already on guard against the big man. A stronger enemy with no worries?"

Chai Rong said: "Sui Ping Nan Chen also split the Turks, and only went south after controlling the northern aggression. What's more, in today's Han Dynasty, the northern pass is lost, and the frontier defense is not complete? If we don't completely consolidate the fortification, when our army goes south, we must go south. It's the time of the Liaonan bandits!"

Fan Zhi said: "Nowadays, the south of the Yangtze River is torn apart. Wang Shi occupies Jinghu, controls Huainan, and controls seven inches of it. He only needs to send a partial teacher. How can he be similar to Sui and Chen!"

Probably seeing that Fan Zhi seemed a little lonely alone, Xue Juzheng, the envoy of the Third Division, also spoke up, and his mood seemed calmer, saying: "The big man has fought and destroyed the country many times over the years, and the soldiers are inevitably exhausted, and the national treasury has been consumed a lot. , in a short time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to support the Northern Expedition!"

Hearing this, Chai Rong immediately said: "The troops moved before and after are less than half of the soldiers of the Han Dynasty. The army in the north, the Imperial Army in Tokyo, has been trained for many years, and there are hundreds of thousands of them waiting for the battle. How can we talk about fatigue. As for the support of the warehouse, let alone The income of the big man, the goods transported from Sichuan and Shubei, the boats transported by boats, won hundreds of thousands, and the vehicles were carried by animals, and the roads were filled for several years, such a huge financial resource, could it be used up in just a few months?"

As soon as these words came out, Xue Juzheng smiled sarcastically, in front of the emperor, it was not good to prevaricate.

Fan Zhi then said: "The situation in the north is not yet clear, nor is it clear what the Liao Kingdom is going to do. If we move a large army in the dynasty, we will actually force them to fight, and we will not give the big man a choice. Don't be careless! "

"."

Hearing the heated debate among the ministers, Liu Chengyou felt a slight headache, remained silent for a long time, did not speak, and simply got up and left the case.The emperor left, and the officials in the hall looked at each other for a few moments, and they all silently kept silent. After all, it is not a vegetable market, and those who do not listen to the Lord, there is no need for them, the speakers, to continue arguing.

In Weiji, the servant Sun Yanxi came to pass on Liu Chengyou's oral order, asking all the ministers and workers to return to their duties temporarily to handle government affairs.Obviously, the emperor still hadn't made a decision. Since Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, such moments of hesitation were rare, and every time he was faced with a major decision.

In fact, since Qianyou conquered the Huaihe River in four years, the north-south strategy has not had much controversy.However, this time Liu Chengyou asked the Dahan Wuwen officials to discuss again, from which it can be seen that his thinking has indeed changed.

(End of this chapter)