The great man will live forever

Chapter 163 The strange circle of power
Li Guangli was also smart. He first sent an envoy to write a memorial to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, saying: "I am ashamed of Your Majesty. This expedition to Dawan is a long journey and there is a great lack of food.

The soldiers were not afraid of fighting, but of starvation. It was snowing along the way, and the countries in the Western Regions did not provide food and there was not enough water. When they arrived in Dawan, there were only more than 3000 soldiers and they could not capture Wan.

I hope to withdraw the troops for now and send more troops before going back. I will certainly live up to His Majesty's expectations when I go on an expedition next time. "

Here, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was shocked after receiving the military report and memorial. He summoned the Grand Sima Liu Han, the Prince Liu Zhi, and other ministers overnight.

"Incompetent, incompetent, how could Li Guangli be so incompetent that he couldn't even defeat a small Dawan? His command was incompetent and he lost his troops and generals. He made my great man lose face in the Western Regions. Why didn't he die on the battlefield?
He still has the nerve to come back and ask me to continue sending troops to him. What does he want to do? "

"Clap!"

"Clap!"

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty threw several cups and bowls in succession, cursing and throwing them at the same time.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Everyone around him was kneeling, but Liu Han was the only one sitting upright and kneeling.

Liu Han knew that he would probably be defeated this time. Even if he didn't ask Shu Yuzhu, he also knew that he would be defeated. It was too far, food was a problem, and they all underestimated the enemy.

Li Guangli's first expedition to Dawan ended in a disastrous defeat that was not even seen by the capital of Dawan. However, Li Guangli should not be solely responsible for the "blame". Although Li Guangli's command was improper, Liu Che also had an unshirkable responsibility.

First of all, it was a mistake for him to appoint Li Guangli, just because Li Guangli was Mrs. Li's brother. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had a good idea and wanted to support another Wei Qing to check Liu Han, so he let Li Guangli, who had not shown any military talent, take command and go on the expedition. This is too hasty.

Since you are already an emperor, don't think too much. No one can have everything he wants, even if he is an emperor.

Secondly, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty believed the words of Yao Dinghan and other Han envoys, looked down upon Dawan too much, and was not prepared for a tough battle at all. The people he sent were not elites, but young criminals.

There is a saying in the Analects of Confucius: "I am guilty, and no one is responsible for it; all directions are guilty, but I am guilty."

They were monarchs like Yao and Shun. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che and other emperors of the past dynasties would not admit their mistakes easily. What mistakes could an emperor make?It’s all the ministers who are at fault.

"Calm down your anger. How can I calm down my anger? Send me an order. The soldiers on this expedition will kill anyone who dares to enter the border immediately. If they can't win, don't come back to me."

Liu Che was so angry that he immediately sent an envoy to tell the guards at Yumen Pass that Li Guangli's troops would not be allowed to enter the pass, and anyone who did would be shot to death.Li Guangli was frightened and had to retreat to Dunhuang to wait for reinforcements.

"Father, in this case, it is better to suspend the sword fight. There was a severe drought in Guanzhong the year before last, and there was no more food to feed the army."

At this time, Liu Zhi spoke, and directly hit the muzzle of Emperor Wu of Han's gun. Emperor Wu of Han's face turned black.

Sang Hongyang on the side also said: "Yes, Your Majesty, if we go on another expedition, the treasury may not be able to support it. Dawan is too far away."

"Yes, Your Majesty, there is a saying in the Art of War: 'Soldiers are a major issue for the country, the place of life and death, and the path to survival.' We must consider this matter more."

Several people who were familiar with the prince also spoke quickly. After the failure of the first expedition, the opposition to the expedition in the court became more intense this time.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted to curse. He looked around and looked at Liu Han who was calm and composed. "Da Sima is quite calm."

"Your Majesty, only if you have thousands of thunders in your chest and a face as smooth as a flat lake can you be a general. To be a general, you must have the mentality of not changing your face even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you."

"A good general must have the mentality of not changing his expression even if the mountain collapses before him. What does Da Sima think of this matter? Do you also think we should not fight?"

"No, on the contrary, I think we will continue to fight until complete victory. If the Han Dynasty gives up the expedition after the failure of the first expedition, the countries in the Western Regions will no longer submit to the Han Dynasty. By then, the Han Dynasty will further control the Western Regions. weaken."

"Okay, okay, look, this is my Grand Sima. Prince, look at what you and the Grand Tutor have learned. Why are there nothing useful at all? Do you think you can govern the country well by talking about benevolence, righteousness and morality? "

Liu Zhi looked at Liu Han and then at Emperor Wu of Han, and for a moment he didn't know how to speak.

Liu Han continued to speak unhurriedly, "However, it is also a fact that the national treasury is empty. We must fight, and Dawan must be destroyed. We just need to take a long-term plan and accumulate strength.

If it doesn't work in one year, just two years. If it doesn't work in two years, then three years, five years, or ten years. I, a big man, are rich in all directions. We only have the savings of several generations to defeat the Huns, and with His Majesty's hard work, time will be on my big man's side. , whether it is national strength or land, our Han Dynasty is a hundred times that of Dawan, and we will definitely win.

Therefore, we should not be slow to attack Dawan, nor should we act too hastily. The Tao Te Ching has a saying that governing a large country is like cooking small vegetables. "

At this time, everyone was silent, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was also silent for a moment. He smiled bitterly and said: "You, you can't offend both sides. You are right no matter what you say. Dawan must be beaten, but Da Sima said, If you want to take a long-term approach, then you should take a long-term approach."

"Everyone, please step aside and I'll be quiet for a while."

"promise!"

Everyone exited the palace. As soon as Liu Han got on the carriage, Prince Liu Zhi caught up with him.

"Master, master, please go slowly. I have something to ask you."

Liu Zhi asked the groom to stop the car, "Come up." With the help of his servants, Liu Zhi got on Liu Han's horse.

"What do you want to ask?"

Prince Liu Zhi hesitated, and for a moment he didn't know how to speak.

Liu Han smiled, "Why, grown man, don't be like a woman's mother-in-law. Just say whatever you want and ask whatever you want. You are the prince, can I still beat you?"

"That's what I said, the Taifu is just like his father, just like..."

"Generally militaristic?"

Liu Ju nodded, which was regarded as admission.

"Do you think you can persuade him?"

"If you don't agree, my father will most likely stop the conquest of Dawan."

Liu Han shook his head, "You still don't know your father well enough, and I can't persuade you, so I can only delay and try to give the people more time to recuperate.

Besides, Dawan must be fought, and the Western Regions cannot be given up. All peace in the world is fought. Although it is ridiculous, it is true. Justice without force is incompetent, force without justice is tyranny, and dignity only lies in the sword. Above the front! "

"Justice without force is incompetence, force without justice is tyranny, and dignity is only as good as the edge of the sword." Liu Ju muttered these words and slowly got out of the carriage.

In Weiyang Palace,

Eunuch Su Wen whispered: "Your Majesty, don't be angry, don't let the dragon body be so angry. The failure of the attack on Dawan this time is mainly due to insufficient food. It's definitely not insufficient. General Li is not to blame."

Jiang Chong also tried to persuade him, "Yes, Your Majesty, if you are ready again, you will definitely destroy Dawan. General Li did not make many mistakes. Da Sima is right. Our national strength is a thousand times that of Dawan. We will definitely win.”

Obviously, they were all speaking for Li Guangli. They turned to King Changyi and were naturally in the same boat as Li Guangli.

Ever since Jiang Chong offended the prince, he knew that he could only find other backers, and King Changyi was a good choice. After all, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty disliked the prince less and less, and it was very normal for the prince to be deposed.

Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty's crown prince Liu Rong was deposed by him, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was established later. Who knows what will happen in the future?Who doesn’t want the power of the dragon?Afraid of wind and waves?The bigger the wind and waves, the more expensive the fish will be!

Moreover, they, King Changyi, and Li Guangli were actually promoted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to compete with Prince Liu Zhi and Liu Han as a means of balancing power.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty actually only wanted to weaken the prince. After all, he was getting older and older, the prince was getting stronger and stronger, and Liu Han was the prince's tutor. Although there was no obvious bias, many people naturally believed that he was a princeling.

After getting power, few people want to give it up. Unless Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dies, he will be reluctant to give it up.

In fact, in addition to the unwillingness to give up, there are also some lessons learned from the past. The success of an emperor who loses power depends entirely on the filial piety of his children, which is often unreliable.

Think about future generations, if parents give all their property to their children in advance and keep nothing for themselves, there will be many children or daughters-in-law who end up in nursing homes later.

Not to mention later generations, there was a living example before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and that was Zhao Wuling King Zhao Yong of the Zhao State during the Warring States Period. This guy was a great person.

After he first took office, because the Zhao State was always at a disadvantage in the wars between the Central Plains princes for hegemony, and the Zhao State's borders were often threatened by neighboring princely states and invaded by nomadic tribes, he worked hard to become stronger and advocated riding and shooting in Hufu.

He vigorously trained cavalry in the border area between the northern Zhao State and the nomadic people, and changed the way of fighting in the Warring States Period. Some people think that he is the ancestor of the Chinese cavalry.

Later, he adopted the strategy of connecting Qin, Chu, and Song to contain Qi, Wei, Han and other countries. He took advantage of the melee among the countries to continue attacking Zhongshan State and completely destroyed it.

During this period, he patrolled northern Xinjiang, conquered the Linhu and Loufan tribes, opened up the three counties of Yunzhong, Yanmen and Daijun, built the "Great Wall of Zhao" at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, expanded the land for thousands of miles, and revitalized the national power of Zhao. , becoming a powerful country alongside Qi and Qin.

Liang Qichao called him "the most powerful ruler in China since the Yellow Emperor."

No matter how you look at it, he is a talented and strategic monarch, but he made a fatal mistake. He underestimated human nature and power is extremely corrosive.

In the 27th year of King Wuling of Zhao (299 BC), he gave up the throne to his second son Zhao He, who presided over the affairs of the country, while he focused on military affairs and was called the "master father".

Zhao He was getting more and more powerful, and he felt threatened, but it was easy to give out power, but difficult to take it back. In order to check and balance his son, he favored his other son Zhao Zhang, and wanted both of them to be kings and divide Zhao He equally. country, to achieve the purpose of balancing power. You know, when he was still in his prime, he began to delegate power...

He thought everything was under his control, but later everything got out of control. Power overthrew filial piety. The Sand Dune Rebellion broke out. He was besieged for more than three months in the turmoil. He eventually starved to death in the palace. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of "Martial Arts Master." spirit".

It's ridiculous to think about how he became a hero who was starved to death by his own son.

Power is something that you must either not let go of, or let go completely, otherwise most fathers will not trust their sons, sons will not know their fathers, and fathers and sons will kill each other...

King Wuling of Zhao was like this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was like this, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin was like this, and many emperors in later generations were like this. This is a strange circle, more like the reincarnation of history. The wheel has rolled around and seems to have returned to that point again.

(End of this chapter)