There seemed to be a metaphor in the emperor's words, and Guo Wei felt it. He raised his eyelids, made eye contact with each other, and then avoided it.
Guo Wei held up his hands and lowered his posture, saying, "I am so grateful for Your Majesty's concern for this broken body!"
"We're all in Guo Qing's house. If we continue to be as reserved as Chao Shang, it would be too boring!" Raising his hands, Liu Chengyou made a relaxed posture and lay on his side on the bed spread out in the garden. On the blanket.
However, his tone became solemn unconsciously: "Since I came to the throne, I have worked hard to reform and forge ahead with determination. Although I cannot say that I have worked hard, I have not been idle. I have been sharpening the sword for three years, and now it is time to unsheath the sharp blade and stop the war on the world. The country is in an emergency, and the military and political affairs still need a minister who can be expected to be outstanding. The Privy Council is waiting for Guo Qing to return to the Yamen to show his deeds!"
The emperor's meaning was already obvious, and when he met Liu Chengyou's frank eyes again, Guo Wei hesitated for a moment, and then under Liu Chengyou's gaze, he stood up, knelt down, and worshiped: "If your majesty will not abandon this broken body, I am willing to serve you." !”
I thought that Guo Wei would pretend to be reserved and refuse, but I didn't expect that he would be so cheerful and his attitude would be so respectful and pleasant. He couldn't help but look at Mr. Guo again, and Liu Chengyou even thought that when he came to the door, Guo Wei probably knew that he would make a comeback...
After personally helping Guo Wei up, the conversation that followed was much more formal. After all, it was impossible for Liu Chengyou to kiss Guo Men just to have a barbecue.
It was Guo Wei who took the initiative to ask: "The Khitan invaded the south in a big way, and the invaders came to the north. The imperial court also sent troops, and it is said that your Majesty will also march personally. At this time, when the military situation is urgent and the situation is urgent, your Majesty has summoned you. All you need to do is declare an edict with a central official. I have just obeyed the order, so why bother Your Majesty to take the time to come in person?"
"I'm upset. I left the palace this time not only to relax, but also to seek advice from Guo Qing!" Liu Chengyou let out a sigh of relief.
Guo Wei held up his hand and said, "I don't dare to accept it."
Although Liu Chengyou was sure that Guo Wei must have some understanding of the general military situation, Liu Chengyou still pretended that he did not know anything about the military situation in the north, the armaments of the Han Dynasty, the Khitan incident, and the strategic dispute between the north and the south that worried him the most. Let’s talk about it.
It took a short moment to describe the situation in detail, and then Liu Chengyou stared at Guo Wei with questioning eyes: "The civil and military officials in the court and the government each have their own opinions and state the pros and cons, but I am still undecided in my heart. After all, this is a matter of concern. We dare not be careless when making decisions about the country and the world."
"Guo Qing has been in the government for a long time and is known for his sharp knowledge. The so-called bystander knows the truth. In your opinion, which direction should be taken, the Southern Expedition or the Northern Expedition?"
Facing the emperor's instructions, Guo Wei did not answer the question for a while. He thought seriously for a long time. He did not mention the pros and cons that had already been discussed in detail. Instead, he asked Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, you think that we are going to conquer the Khitan in the north and recapture the Yanshan Pass." , how many troops and horses are needed?”
Liu Chengyou answered without thinking: "With the current power of the imperial court, if we try our best, we can raise 200,000 cavalry. Half of them can fight, less than 50,000 can entrust them with interests, and even fewer can fight to the end!"
"Your Majesty knows how to fight!" Guo Wei nodded, gave a small compliment, and then asked: "With all your efforts, how long can the imperial court last three years of accumulating the proceeds from destroying the Buddha? Is your Majesty sure in your heart that you can do everything you can?" Take the border states and rebuild the customs and defenses?"
Liu Chengyou was silent for a while, then shook his head: "I can't answer this question!"
Seeing this, Guo Wei continued to ask: "In your Majesty's opinion, if we were to attack the puppet Tang Dynasty and seize all the territory north of the Yangtze River, how many troops and horses would be needed? How much food would it cost? How long would it take?"
After hearing the question, Liu Chengyou thought for a moment and said with confidence in his tone: "Based on the current situation of the Puppet Tang Dynasty and my painstaking planning, I am confident that we will have an army of 60,000 by land and water. I can win it in half a year!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at Guo Wei's honest expression. Liu Chengyou also understood his opinion. He sighed slightly and said: "In my heart, I just feel reluctant to give up such a good opportunity. Just like the battle of Luancheng. , I risked everything and took a gamble, and that’s how I achieved such a great victory!”
When Liu Chengyou said this, he seemed to have forgotten a thought he had after Luan Dajie: He would never dare to take such risks again.
Hearing this, Guo Wei said: "Your Majesty is no longer the prince who led the partial army alone in the past, and the honor and disgrace in his hands is not the same as that of an army. He has to bear the weight of the country, so he must not be careless and must act according to his ability!"
"It's just an itch that is hard to bear! The Youyan is in the enemy's hands, like a thorn in the back, like a fish in the throat, everything is controlled by it!" Liu Chengyou said with anger in his heart.
"Your Majesty is an extraordinary king. He should endure extraordinary humiliation and do extraordinary things!"
After thinking for a while, Guo Wei suddenly asked: "Does your Majesty know about Bohai Country?"
Liu Chengyou replied: "Haidong is a prosperous country, how can you not know it?"
"It has been a country for more than two hundred years. It has a prosperous culture, a vast territory, many state capitals, and prosperous agriculture and livestock. The Khitan ancestors sent troops to attack it, seize all its land, use its two hundred years of accumulation, and unify the outside world. As a result, the national power increased rapidly. The Khitan ancestors Lord Yelu Deguang was able to conquer the south with all his strength, and he continued to conquer, but there was still some strength left!"
Liu Chengyou frowned slightly, looked at Guo Wei, and listened quietly to what he was going to say.
I saw Guo Wei, pointing to the south, and said seriously: "There are separate countries in the south, and the Puppet Tang is the richest. In my opinion, the Puppet Tang is the Bohai Sea of our dynasty!"
Speaking of which, Liu Chengyou's majestic appearance only showed a hint of drunkenness, but the slight hesitation between his brows seemed to have been relieved.
He also invited Guo Wei for a drink, talked with him about the northern border defense, and discussed some of his concerns about the north.
Liu Chengyou told Guo Wei that he really had no confidence in winning this time if he exhausted all his national strength in the Northern Expedition. He just considered the threat of the Khitan and was unwilling to be controlled by others. Just like this time, if the Khitan wanted to go south, he would even launch a southern strategy All opportunities had to be given up. And if the big man barely had the strength to fight on both sides, he didn't know how long it would take.
He also thought about defeating the Khitans, taking back Tan, Ji, Ru, Wu and other states and defending them, but he didn't know how much it would cost. The risks and consequences of taking a risk made him even more uneasy. .
Even if it succeeds, how many soldiers, horses, money and food will be spent to reconstruct the northern defense line. I am afraid that the Han Dynasty will have to be completely contained in the north for the next few years or even longer. And learn from history, look at the Great Wall If we are still here, can we block the threat from the north and avoid the danger of Hu Qi invading the south? Not necessarily. The most important benefit of seizing the north is to prevent the Han from being strategically weaker when dealing with threats from the grassland. The enemy, before the battle has even started, is at a disadvantage and on the defensive.
After listening to Liu Chengyou's heartfelt words, Guo Wei sighed: "Your Majesty has already made up his mind on how to make a decision, but what I said is too redundant!"
That's right. Liu Chengyou came to visit. In addition to asking Guo Wei to come out, he also wanted to find some confidence from him and relieve his mood...
Guo Wei continued: "Since the three dynasties of the late Tang Dynasty, there have been civil strife in the Central Plains and the rise of Khitan. Even if the Sixteen Provinces were not lost, the threat from the north has never been smaller. In the final analysis, the threat of the Huru is certainly hateful, but the strength of oneself is even more It is important. The great Han Dynasty now has the Holy Lord coming to the court, and there are famous ministers and generals, and warriors who have fought in hundreds of battles. It is the time to rise, and sooner or later it will be time to go north!"
During this visit, Guo Wei had praised Liu Chengyou more than once. Liu Chengyou waved his hand and continued: "I have also thought about taking advantage of the Khitan's chaos and the new master's establishment, seeking stability, and sending troops to the north to threaten and intimidate This is a strategy to force them to give back the land of Yanyun to me..."
As he said this, Liu Chengyou laughed and laughed at himself: "But when I think about it carefully, I take it for granted. In the current situation, we cannot miss the military situation due to temporary delusion!"
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"Your Majesty!" Guo Wei solemnly said to Liu Chengyou: "In my humble opinion, as for the Khitans, if we only prepare them as imperial guards, we can concentrate our efforts from the original, Hebei, and Hedong areas; if we want to recapture Guanshan, we will need all the Han troops. If there is nothing on the side, we can gather all the strength from the north of the Yangtze River. However, if we want to eliminate it, we need to flatten all the countries, govern the military and civilian affairs internally, and use the strength of the whole country. It cannot be won by one or two battles!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou was thoughtful and said: "Guo Qing, this is a strategy for me to eliminate the Khitans!"
"Okay, I had a meal with Guo Qing today, and I am very satisfied with my wife's cooking..." Wiping the greasy corners of his mouth, Liu Chengyou stood up: "I learned a lot from talking with Guo Qing, so I will I’ll be waiting soon, and I’ll go back to the palace first!”
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for the poor hospitality..." Guo Wei still remained humble and submissive.
"That's right!" Before leaving, Liu Chengyou pointed to Zhang Yongde, whose guard was in the distance, and said, "Your son-in-law has been with me for a long time. He is a general. During the southern expedition, how about using him to lead an army to seize the territory? ?”
Hearing this, Guo Weidao said: "He is young after all, I'm afraid people will be dissatisfied!"
"Aren't I already famous for my youthfulness now?" Liu Chengyou waved his hand: "If I think he can do it, he can do it!"