Han Shizu

Chapter 879 Planning for the Northern Expedition
It was still in the Chongzheng Hall, and the ministers were still there, but the atmosphere was different, because this time, the doors and windows of the government hall were closed, and all the eunuchs who were waiting for the palace were dismissed except for Sun Yanxi.

Seeing this secret scene, all the civil and military people present knew that the emperor had made a decision.Looking at each other, each of them kept their minds tight, waiting for Liu Chengyou to speak.

"Last night, I finally had a good night's sleep!" Liu Chengyou looked around, but said with a relaxed smile.This performance further confirmed the conjectures of the ministers.

Facing the eyes of all the ministers, Liu Chengyou picked up a memorial from the imperial case and said, "I received another letter of invitation last night!"

Attention was attracted by the memorial in Liu Chengyou's hand. During this period, the emperor received almost a lot of invitations to fight. What's so special about this one?

Liu Chengyou did not continue to sell Guanzi, and a slight smile flickered across his mouth, and said: "This is Zhao Kuangzan, the King of Yan, and Gao Fang, the observation envoy of Lu Long, who jointly signed a letter, hoping that the imperial court can send troops to the north, expel Khitan, and recover Guanshan!"

After the emperor's words fell, Chai Rong lifted his spirits, and immediately said: "Your Majesty, King Yan has made great achievements and virtues. His heart is so sincere. How can the court refuse what he invites and cool the hearts of people with lofty ideals?"

And the other civil and military people also showed a little joy, they are all people of insight, and they can understand the intention of King Yan from behind this letter of invitation.For a long time, the Han court has always been wary of the existence of King Yan and the Yan army. After all, at the moment when the feudal towns are completely wiped out, Youyan's self-contained system is indeed a bit prominent, giving people a feeling of being stuck in the throat.

Of course, the feudal town is still second. After all, there are Xiazhou and Yanzhou in the northwest. The key lies in the particularity of Youzhou's geographical location. It is the most important part of the northern defense line. It is the finishing touch and cannot be directly controlled. How can it make people feel at ease in the hand.Otherwise, during the northern tour, An Shenqi would not have suggested that he raise troops to go north and take Youzhou first.

This time, King Yan's attitude of obedience in this request for war is very clear. Everyone knows that once the Han army goes north, it will be the day when the Yan army will be completely incorporated into the military and political system of the Han Dynasty.

After Chai Rong finished speaking, Liu Chengyou got up and walked to the map hanging high in the hall. Seeing his movements, everyone also got up.The map of the Great Han Dynasty in Chongzheng Hall was updated and redrawn.

Unknowingly, after ten years of expansion and strategy, the territory of the big man is already very large. If you look at it carefully, you can't help but feel a kind of pride and complacency in your heart.

"The dispute between the North and the South ends here!" After a long time, Liu Chengyou turned around, with a strong look in his eyes, and said with emotion: "Masters, I have decided to make the Northern Expedition. Pingnan will be put on hold for now. Next, the court will do its best." Prepare for the Northern Expedition, and collect Guanshan in one fell swoop!"

The emperor made up his mind and immediately suppressed the previous controversy. Chai Rong and others were overjoyed. Fan Zhi, although he still reserved his opinion, still respectfully bowed to Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty has made a decision, and the ministers and others are the only ones With full power to assist the Prime Minister, attack Khitan in the north!"

Looking at Fan Zhi, Liu Chengyou showed a satisfied expression.No matter how big the differences and fierce disputes were before, once the resolution is confirmed, the attitude can be quickly reversed, and the state affairs will not be abolished with selfish will. Just for this point, Fan Zhi, the prime minister, can still be a prime minister for a while.

In fact, after so many years, the Great Han Dynasty has created an atmosphere of "monarchs and ministers working together, working together", which is the temperament of a powerful country displayed by an empire striving to make progress.

Sitting down again, the monarchs and ministers waited to directly discuss the matter of marching troops.War is a matter of life and death. It is not just a matter of slapping your head, then gathering a large army, and then pile it up to attack the city and pull out the stronghold, especially for such a large project as the Northern Expedition.

Temple planning and preliminary preparations are necessary. Fortunately, in terms of war, the Han court has accumulated enough experience over the years, and it has become more systematic and systematic in terms of war preparation. Even if the scale of the Northern Expedition to Liao Kingdom will far exceed the previous one .

Liu Chengyou made arrangements directly, looked at Chai Rong first, and said: "For matters such as dispatching troops, marching strategies, timing of dispatching troops, etc., the Privy Council should issue a detailed charter as soon as possible, and gradually implement it!"

"Yes!" Chai Rong replied immediately, his pair of bright eyes glowing, obviously already thinking about it.

"The Ministry of War is still responsible for all weapons and armaments!" Liu Chengyou said to Wei Renpu again.

For this, Wei Renpu had been prepared for a long time, and he surrendered very calmly; "Obey!"

"The third department should cooperate closely with all the department departments, plan to send troops to consume, and prepare a large amount of money, food and clothing for the army to go north!"

Xue Juzheng replied: "Yes!"

What Liu Chengyou said was just a guiding opinion. In fact, he didn't need to say it, the ministers would do it and be able to do it well. The previous experience is enough to reassure Liu Chengyou.

What Liu Chengyou really needs to care about is more than the strategy. After pondering for a while, he continued: "Although the Northern Expedition is decided, it needs to be prepared in many ways. It should not be too hasty. It is more important to watch the Khitan's movements and decide accordingly. Before the Northern Expedition, the situation of the Khitan , We must closely monitor and spy. The army should be loose on the outside and tight on the inside, and should be prepared, and it should be carried out as secretly as possible, and it is not appropriate to create a big momentum. As for the dispute between the North, the South, and the North, it can continue!"

As soon as the emperor's words fell, the ministers all understood. This was to confuse all parties, and then they all offered advice.

Fan Zhi said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court should still send envoys to the north to discuss the conflict between the Han and Liao Dynasties, resolve misunderstandings, and restore relations!"

The same suggestion was uttered from Fan Zhi's mouth this time, with a different tone. This time, it was obviously to confuse Khitan.In this regard, Liu Chengyou directly agreed: "Just send Wang Zhaoyuan, he has long wanted to envoy Liao, so I will fulfill him this time!"

Hearing the emperor's decision, Fan Zhi and the others couldn't help showing a bit of playfulness. Wang Zhaoyuan, a "strange man", still had some reputation in the court.However, the mission itself is just a strategy, and there is no need to consider whether it is successful or not. Using such a "strange person" as a mission may also achieve miraculous results, so no one objected.

Li Gu, who didn't speak much in the North-South dispute, also spoke this time: "Your Majesty, if the Northern Expedition will involve hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians, it is almost impossible for such a large-scale preparation to be carried out in complete secrecy without leaking the news. .

The minister thought that the imperial court could strengthen the name of the Northern Imperial Army, dispatch grain, grass, and military equipment, and at the same time let out rumors of going south, and make a move to transfer troops and horses to the south. "

"In addition, the old minister should resign from His Majesty and go to Yangzhou to take up his post!" Li Gu cupped his hands and begged Liu Chengyou.

Li Gu's strategy is to confuse the enemy and hide his strategic intentions.The fact that Li Gu is going to be Pingnan's coach is actually well known throughout the court. With the current strength of the big man, there is no need to hide it like in the past when he wants to go south.

Liu Chengyou heard this, looked at Li Gu, saw his calm expression, and felt a little complicated.Originally, Liu Chengyou chose Li Gu as the commander in order to make him a great success, but now, the north has changed and the strategy has shifted, so he needs to temporarily stop his desire for meritorious service.

When Li Gu was transferred from Hebei to Beijing, he wanted to make great use of him in Pingnan affairs. Now the strategic direction has been changed to the north. For Li Gu, it is also a kind of untimely and difficult to advocate. Ambitious feeling.

Of course, Li Gu is less than 60 years old, so it is not reasonable to let Liu Chengyou have such feelings.However, he knew that after many years of hard work, Li Gushi was in poor health, and it was difficult to guarantee how long he would be able to work for the big man after contracting wind arthralgia.

But judging from his performance, Liu Chengyou can still feel that Li Gu is willing to restrain his ambition for the sake of the country.In this regard, Liu Chengyou solemnly said: "The army marches north and defends the south of the Yangtze River. I will do my best to entrust Li Qing!"

After a pause, Liu Chengyou said a little more emotionally: "Take care of yourself!"

After Li Gu said, the Privy Council accepted the decree and Li Chuyun suggested again: "Your Majesty, the imperial court can send envoys to Koryo to tell the king of Koryo to send troops to attack the old land of Bohai Sea!"

"Facing the Khitan threat, Goryeo may not dare to take the initiative to attack, but you can try!" Liu Chengyou said to Fan Zhi: "Fan Qing will arrange this matter, but we must watch the timing!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Kuangyin also followed up and said: "Your Majesty, in the battle against Liao, you will face the enemy's maneuvering threat. Although the Han horse army has been in operation for many years, its numbers and horse strength are still insufficient. .The minister once inspected the northwest, and he might be able to summon Tubo, Wenmo, and Dangxiang to help the Tibetan cavalry!"

In the army of the Han Dynasty, there is a fan cavalry mainly composed of "minorities", which was formed by Liu Zhiyuan.

Regarding Zhao Kuangyin's suggestion, Liu Chengyou frowned, as if hesitating, worried that it would be difficult for the horsemen to be restrained.But after thinking about it, if a group of people can be recruited and used as cannon fodder, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.Moreover, if the conciliation is successful, it will also be an opportunity to implement planning for the Northwest Zhuhu, which will be conducive to the development of the Northwest Economic Strategy in the future.

Therefore, after a little consideration, Liu Chengyou immediately said: "Let Guo Chongwei go to the northwest to be responsible for recruiting soldiers and train them on the spot!"

"Yes!"

Guo Chongwei is the general of the horse army of the Han Dynasty, um, Guo Wei's old department.Even though Guo Wei has been adopted for several years, the imperial court is still not immune to its influence in appointing generals.

(End of this chapter)