The twelfth year of Tianfu is a leap year, a leap month.
Time always dilutes everything. As the second half of July passes, the situation in the Central Plains can finally be described as "calm", although it is a bit reluctant. The situation of starvation in Manzhou County and the gathering of bandits in the mountains and forests has not improved much, but in various states. The local officials were almost done waiting and watching. Seeing that the Liu family was staying in Tokyo and that the situation would not change again in a short time, they "lived" over and began to rule the people in the name of "big Han".
Autumn is thick, and in the sparse world of the Central Plains, crops have already matured, bringing more hope. While the officials and the people are looking forward to hope, the big man who spent more than two months to gain a firm foothold in the Central Plains The imperial court finally had enough energy to devote its attention to every state in the world beyond the capital.
In the Chui Gong Hall, several important military and political ministers and Liu Chengyou were present, together with Liu Zhiyuan, discussing politics. There was only one topic in the hall discussion: Fang Town.
As the reorganization of the forbidden troops comes to an end, the imperial court is obviously more confident and has enough energy to point out other states and towns. In other words, it needs to establish its power, and the target of establishing power has also found the fattest and loudest one. The noisy chicken is Du Chongwei. It was basically expected. Among the various festivals, only Du Chongwei made an appearance.
"Your Majesty, according to reports from various states, those who were transferred to Jiedu in the previous period have basically gone to the state to take up their duties. Those who are far away, such as Qingzhou and Anzhou, are still on the way." Yang Fan began to report, and said a good news.
Last month, when the situation in Kaifeng eased slightly, Liu Zhiyuan issued an edict and carried out a large-scale transfer, replacement and exchange of governors in various states.
The Jiedu of Song, Xu, Yan, Xu, Deng, Xiang, An, Yun, Wei, Qing, etc., the Central Plains, and Hebei were basically replaced. This is actually a basic operation. Those Jiedu that were transferred, Naturally, I was not happy in my heart, after all, I had been moved. However, the Liu family was gaining momentum and they were receiving more favors and comforts. Even if I didn't want to, I packed up and went on the road.
However, the progress is naturally fast and slow. For example, Yang Chengxin, who moved from Pinglu Jiedu to Anzhou Jiedu, traveled nearly 2,000 miles by land and water from Qingzhou to Anzhou. It took a whole family to move, let alone a month. , he may not be able to take office even if he is given three months.
"Yeah." Liu Zhiyuan nodded, and directly asked the town he cared about most: "Where is Du Chongwei, there is no movement yet?"
Yang Bin's face became serious and said: "There is still no sign of departure. I am afraid that Du Chongwei has made up his mind to violate His Majesty's edict and confront the imperial court!"
Liu Zhiyuan only looked a little cold in response to this, but there was no more expression of surprise. Originally, Liu Zhiyuan exchanged Du Chongwei with Gao Xingzhou, the military governor of the Guide Army, and allowed him to bring his family, lead his retinue, and lead all the troops. His family fortune, and in order to reassure him, he specially appointed his "brother" Li Shouzhen as the governor of Hezhong, which is already very sincere. As long as Du Zhongwei is willing to move the town, everything will be easy to talk about.
However, after the edict to move the town was issued, the other towns responded more or less, except Du Chongwei, who had no feedback at all and turned a deaf ear. It was not until Tokyo sent envoys to investigate that the move to the town became complicated. It takes time, we are preparing a reply.
This dragged on for several days. The Han Dynasty court also showed great patience and planned to send people to "assist" him to move to the town. Du Chongwei immediately refused. Now people from Yedu reported that he finally started to move away.
Furniture was loaded onto the truck. Du Chongwei's family was still very rich, so he delayed the process for a few days, and then nothing happened again.
Until the imperial court issued an edict to urge him for the second time, Du Chongwei simply complained that he was ill and that it was inconvenient to travel far. Later, he reported that bandits were on the rise in Weibo... In short, it was inconvenient to move to the town.
In response to this, the imperial court became more "reasonable" and sent an envoy to inform him. Tokyo was vast and livable and had complete medical services. Du Gong could go to Tokyo to recuperate first, and then go to Songzhou to settle down after he recovered. As for Wei Bo's banditry, the imperial court took matters into his own hands.
The newly appointed Yedu left guard Gao Xingzhou was responsible for exterminating the soldiers and horses.
This went on and on until now. In fact, at this point, the two sides are basically settled.
"Your Majesty, according to the report from Chanzhou, Du Chongwei has locked up the city and sent troops to block the road between Yedu and Puyang. His disobedience is clearly revealed. The court must be prepared and respond at any time." Guo Wei followed the report.
"How are the deployment of troops and horses, and how are the provisions and supplies of food and equipment prepared?" Liu Zhiyuan asked.
In response to Du Chongwei, the Han court had actually been making preparations for a long time. After hearing about it, Shi Hongzhao immediately reported: "The Xingjie and Guangrui armies have been transferred northward and stationed at Baima, Puyang, Yunzhou, Yanzhou, and Mingzhou
The army has been ordered to make preparations for containment. All armies in Beijing can go north to fight at any time!"
Wang Zhang followed up and said: "During this period, I have been ordered to mobilize, food and equipment, chariots and horses, boats and boats, and have prepared 50,000 horse infantry for the half-year campaign. However, if the court wants to carry out the expedition, it is best to wait until
At the end of the autumn harvest, grain taxes are deposited into the treasury."
Yang Bin, who was standing by, agreed: "Nowadays, there is a shortage of population and a lack of people's power in various places. I am afraid that I will not be able to meet the needs of the army. If the people are strong early, it will inevitably destroy production and cause turmoil in the people's hearts..."
"When the grain tax comes into the warehouse, it's already winter, how can we still fight then?" Shi Hongzhao immediately retorted after hearing the two men singing in harmony.
"As long as the war doesn't start, the longer the delay, the more fully prepared the court will be, the stronger the country will be, and the greater the chance of victory for the court." Yang Bin also counterattacked at a faster speed. Although
There was a "tacit understanding" against Liu Chengyou, but in military and political matters, the conflict between Yang Bin and Shi Hongzhao had never weakened, and disagreements were common.
In terms of words and reasoning, Shi Hongzhao was certainly no match for Yang Bin. His face twitched, and when he was about to make a strong statement, Su Fengji stood up. He glanced at Yang Bin and said loudly: "What Mr. Yang said is wrong."
"Du Chongwei supported his troops with self-respect, violated His Majesty's will, and resisted the imperial edicts. The evidence of his rebellion has been exposed. In my opinion, it is advisable to deprive these rebellious people of their rank and rank, send out troops as soon as possible, and destroy them to show the dignity of the imperial court."
"Otherwise, let's see how other Jiedu in the world view this matter. They have been watching the move before. If they follow this example, then the Han Dynasty will probably be in chaos again before it reaches peace. The imperial imperial army is strong and powerful.
There are many people, but how can we take care of all four directions? Now that we can focus on one side, we can quickly eliminate the stubbornness and eliminate greater disasters before they happen."
Su Fengji is a person who is greedy, loves power, and likes killing. Although his character is not good, he still has some insights and can always say something.
"This is a big fallacy! The country's worries should be prioritized. Nowadays, the Khitans are mobilizing troops in Youyan, Xishu is watching on the right of Guan, Jingnan is in the south, and the Southern Tang Dynasty is restless. At this time, stabilizing the country is the most important thing.
Wei Bo has a strong army, and if the court starts the war lightly, if it cannot win quickly, our great situation will be lost in one day!" Yang Bin immediately responded.
He stared at Su Fengji coldly. In Yang Bin's opinion, this person was a villain who was accustomed to flattering people, who got in by flattery, who often made lies and brought trouble to the court.
Feeling Yang Bin's contempt, Su Fengji sneered: "Are you trying to indulge Du Chongwei and create trouble?"
"You are taking things out of context!" Yang Yan was slightly angry: "Du Chongwei must be subdued, and Wei Bo's problem must be solved, but it is not advisable to act too hastily!"
"They are so rampant. If they don't act decisively, how can they undermine the majesty of Your Majesty and the imperial court?" Su Fengji asked in return.
"That's enough!" Seeing the two people arguing again in the court, Liu Zhiyuan's eyes flashed with impatience and he spoke coldly.
Seeing this, the two of them stopped talking and quickly leaned over to apologize: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
With Liu Zhiyuan's "suppression", the smell of gunpowder between Yang and Su dissipated a lot, but the atmosphere became much more tense. Liu Zhiyuan glanced around and saw that Liu Chengxun was not there. Liu Chengyou stood there without expressing an opinion, looking at
Free, the old god is at ease.
"King Zhou, what do you think?" Liu Zhiyuan asked after a moment of silence.
His wandering eyes suddenly returned to clarity. Of course Liu Chengyou had something in mind. He thought about it for a while before he handed over his hand and said: "What the two prime ministers said are all planned for the country, and they all have a certain truth. Weibo's population, taxes, etc.
, it occupies the most important place in the world, so I don’t need to elaborate on it. Such important places cannot be held in Du Chongwei’s hands for a long time.”
"Du Chongwei is now like a cancerous tumor on the body of a big man, which has reached the point where it has to be cut off. If it continues, the court may gather more powerful forces. However, if this cancerous tumor breaks out, erodes, and spreads, the impact will be
It’s not just the town of Weibo. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, we must bite the bullet and get rid of it. We must bring Weibo under the rule as soon as possible, resume development, and rest with the people, so that the imperial court will have spare power to deal with foreign enemies."
"Otherwise, if it is delayed for too long, not only will domestic troubles occur, but as Yang Xianggong said, Meng Shu, Jingnan, and Southern Tang will also take the opportunity to bite the big Han. If you can't suppress the internal troubles, how can you deal with the wolves at your doorstep?
?”
After Liu Chengyou finished speaking, Yang Bin's expression became condensed, while Su Fengji showed a smile. Liu Zhiyuan thought about Liu Chengyou's words and asked, "So, do you prefer the imperial court to mobilize troops?"
"Judging from the current situation in Yedu, this war is probably unavoidable. Du Chongwei obviously will not surrender. The imperial court's arrangements around him are likely to put great pressure on Du Chongwei. What other parties are unable to do?
Countermeasures." Liu Chengyou said: "However, if you want to take into account other states and towns, the imperial court does not need to take the initiative to attack. It only needs to prepare for war, and when they rebel, they will send troops to annihilate them!"
"Haha." Shi Hongzhao suddenly chuckled. The sound was not loud, but it was a bit harsh in this hall.
"Why are you laughing?" Shi Hongzhao's behavior was a bit rude. Liu Zhiyuan glanced at him and asked.
"I'm rude!" Shi Hongzhao actually knew that he was rude, but his unbearable expression was even more disgusting. He glanced at Liu Chengyou and said: "I just feel that, as His Highness King Zhou said, Ruoyedu is over there This situation has always been maintained, and Du Chongwei did not take action. Is it possible that the imperial court has so many troops and money and food that is wasted? If it is delayed beyond this year, what is the difference from what Yang Xiang said? "
The eyes of everyone fell on Liu Chengyou. Liu Chengyou still looked indifferent and nodded: "What General Shi said is indeed reasonable."
Without even glancing at Shi Hongzhao, Liu Chengyou turned to Guo Wei and said, "Privilege Guo, that report just now..."
The ministers' eyes turned to Guo Wei again, and they saw Guo Wei took out two documents from his sleeves and reported to Liu Zhiyuan: "Your Majesty, before the meeting, the Privy Council received a report from Mozhou Defense Envoy Murong Yanzhao. A suspicious person was intercepted in its territory, and a letter was found on his person. After interrogation, it was found that the man was Du Chongwei's messenger, and what was written in the letter was Du Chongwei's words of surrender to the Khitan, and After inviting the Khitan Master to conquer Youzhou, he will go south to the Central Plains and join forces with him. I will report and write here for your majesty to read."
The two documents were presented to Liu Zhiyuan, and he only glanced at them briefly. Liu Zhiyuan slapped the imperial table heavily and said angrily: "What a good Du Chongwei. He is really a thief. I have tried my best to forgive him and comfort him." However, I still have unsatisfied desires, and with the heart of a snake, I try to connect with Beidi and harm our Han family! It is simply not a pity to die!"
"Gentlemen, what do you think?" Liu Zhiyuan looked around and asked again.
At this time, Yang Bin did not dare to refute anything. Su Fengji was very happy: "Your Majesty, Du Chongwei has shown his true nature and is so rampant that we cannot tolerate him!"
"Du Chongwei does not care about the kindness of the court and wants to use his arms as a chariot to bring about his own destruction. I will help him!" Taking a deep breath, Liu Zhiyuan coldly ordered: "Send someone to send this letter to Yedu and tell the content Show it to the world!"
"yes!"
It is basically certain that when this letter was placed on his desk, Du Chongwei would definitely not be able to sit still and would rebel.
"Your Majesty, if this is the case, the imperial court must make thorough preparations for the conquest!" Seeing that the matter was a foregone conclusion, Yang Bin quickly changed his mind and actively advised.
Liu Zhiyuan nodded, pondered for a while, and said: "Arrange troops and horses, food and grass, and speed up. Let's discuss the candidate for the commander-in-chief!"
After saying this, there was another silence in the palace, and everyone exchanged glances. Du Chongwei's side had nearly 50,000 troops. Even if the people's strength was excluded, there were more than 20,000 soldiers who could fight. If the imperial court wanted to quell the situation, it would use There are definitely a lot of soldiers and horses, and when it comes to something as sensitive as military power, you have to be cautious when commanding a large number of soldiers to fight outside.
After only a moment of silence, Shi Hongzhao took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"
His eyes paused on Shi Hongzhao. Liu Zhiyuan only thought about it for a moment and shook his head: "The Department of Guards and the Tokyo Forbidden Army still need Shi Qing's hard work and hard work, so we can't leave lightly."
Being rejected, he was only a little disappointed, but Shi Hongzhao didn't care too much. Now he is in charge of the Guards Department and is the leader of the Tokyo Forbidden Army. He is proud and domineering. If he goes on an expedition, the outcome will be unpredictable, and he may lose the commander of the Forbidden Army. Possibilities. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, it is better to stay in the capital. Today, Shi Hongzhao is no longer the pure general he was under Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong. This bureaucracy has already arisen.
As for Liu Chengyou, he does have the intention to be the commander-in-chief, but it is almost certain that if he proposes it, he will definitely encounter opposition.
After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou took the initiative to report: "I think that instead of entrusting generals to go on an expedition, it would be better for Your Majesty to do it himself, lead a large army, and use the power of thunder to defeat the evildoers!"
Hearing this, Liu Zhiyuan frowned.
PS: Regarding the update, splitting it into two chapters is too short and putting them together is too slow. It’s really difficult.
