It was still early, and in the Privy Council, the servants were carefully changing the candles and cleaning the halls. The officials on duty had already been handed over. As the sky got brighter, the staff of the various rooms also came to work one after another. Because of the Southern Campaign, the Privy Council was very busy during this period.
It was busy and there were rumors of military affairs, but it was always in a tense and joyful atmosphere.
Zhao Kuangyin slowly came to the Privy Council. When passing by, he noticed that Li Chuyun was already sitting behind the desk, immersed in processing official documents. Li Chuyun, who was over forty years old, was in the prime of life. Over the years as the Privy Council, he had been conscientious and dedicated to the public affairs.
, praised by Emperor Liu.
During the years when he was in charge of military affairs, Li Chuyun showed very outstanding ability in doing things, proving to the government and the public that he was capable of standing alone and did not rely on the emperor's support to rise to the position of power and be above the princes.
During the fifteen years of military and political reform and adjustment, the central power of the Han Dynasty has formed a system that focuses on state affairs, military affairs, and finance, with mutual checks and balances. In terms of military power, in addition to the emperor, it is the privy envoys.
Therefore, in terms of authority alone, Li Chuyun was one of the most powerful people in the Han Dynasty. However, compared with Yang Bin, Guo Wei, Zhe Congruan, Chai Rong and others since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Chuyun was one of the most powerful people in the Han Dynasty.
Or prestige, both are far inferior.
Just like Lei Xiang, the third minister who is now serving as the Prime Minister and in charge of the financial power of the Han Dynasty, he has little qualifications but a high position of power. Lei Xiang is also in his forties, but he was a Jinshi in the early years of Qianyou, but he has already
At first, most of them were from the same department and became the Prime Minister at once. Even now, many people in the court consider him "mediocre" and feel that he is not worthy of being the third minister.
In his early years, Li Chuyun was only promoted by Zhe Congruan, and directly entered the Privy Council to serve as a recorder. Although he served as military counselor all the year round and discussed current affairs with the emperor, he had never led an army alone to fight a war, and he had never really allowed those generals to
Achievements recognized by Qiu Ba.
However, Emperor Liu still reused Red Xiang and Li Chuyun, not only because of their own talents, but more importantly because of the balance of power.
Like Li Chuyun, he knows this in his heart, but it also gives him an opportunity to show his talents. Li Chuyun also deeply appreciates the kindness he encounters and repays it with all his heart. This is a person with a strong ambition for fame, and Pingnan is in charge of him.
The Privy Council later took the lead in formulating and implementing the great cause, so it was particularly worried about this matter.
"Brother Zhengyuan, you are still so diligent!" Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward to bow and greeted with a smile.
In recent years, Li Chuyun has not only shown his shrewd and capable side, but also often behaves generously in private affairs. However, when it comes to handling official affairs, he has always had a tough attitude, frequently behaved arbitrarily, and quarreled with his colleagues, so he was very popular in the court.
Not too good. Of course, this does not include Zhao Kuangyin.
On Emperor Liu's side, there was nothing that Zhao Kuangyin could not tolerate, but he didn't like the habit of calling people brothers and brothers. Letting him, a meritorious general, serve as deputy privy envoy was not only a way of appeasing the general of the Forbidden Army, but also a check and balance on Li Chuyun.
, the effect obviously did not work, so Emperor Liu had already planned to change Zhao Kuangyin's position.
Zhao Kuangyin smiled at each other, and Li Chuyun also returned the salute, saying: "Although the overall situation in the south is stable, the military affairs are particularly complex, so we must not relax. We need to be vigilant to avoid any oversights!"
"What good news is coming?" Zhao Kuangyin asked, noticing that Li Chuyun had not put down the memorial in his hand.
Li Chuyun's thin face also showed a smile, and he replied: "The Liangjiang area has been completely controlled by the army. Liu Guangyi's troops entered Jianzhou, Murong Chengtai successively received benefits, Meizhou, Chaozhou, Cui Yanjin also entered Qinzhou, Jiangnan,
The two countries of Southern and Guangdong can be said to have been completely destroyed! The initial goal of pacifying Nan this time has been achieved!"
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but laugh a few times and said: "How wonderful! Since mid-September, the imperial edict was issued to Pingnan, and now it is only the beginning of November, and they have already arrived at Jinling and Panyu. The speed of the advance and the strength of the troops have made it difficult for them to do so."
People are amazed! If the south of the Yangtze River is settled, we will have a drink and wish you a triumphant song!"
Zhao Kuangyin's hearty laughter echoed in the hall, which was very clear in this winter morning. Suddenly, he heard a question: "What good news has aroused Duke Hao's alcohol addiction?"
Before anyone arrived, the voice came first, and it was Emperor Liu. After getting up early from Concubine Gao, Emperor Liu went directly to the Privy Council. When he stepped into the room, Li Chuyun and Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly greeted him: "Your Majesty!"
"Second Minister, no courtesy!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand to signal, and said with a smile: "It's a coincidence that I came here. According to what Yuen Long just said, there is military situation in the south again?"
"Back to Your Majesty! Jiangnan and Lingnan have basically been settled!" Li Chuyun replied, and presented the memorial in his hand to Liu Chengyou.
"It's much faster than pacifying Shu!" Liu Chengyou couldn't help but smile, looked at Zhao Kuangyin, and then mused: "Judging from the previous situation, it's not surprising, but after the two countries were pacified, the military situation
It’s time to put the arrangements on the agenda!”
"Yes!" Li Chuyun answered with cupped hands: "I and others are already discussing it, but the specific arrangements need to be reported one after another from the detailed situation of each place, and then adjustments can be made and implemented!"
"Yes!" Liu Chengyou responded, and the joy on his face gradually faded away, looking like he was worried.
After sitting down and looking at Li and Zhao, Liu Chengyou said: "Both of you are important ministers in charge of military affairs. Although the south has been mostly pacified, there are still some shortcomings in the southeast. So far, including the recruitment and surrender of rebels, there are hundreds of thousands of troops.
In the south, should we take advantage of the situation and enter Wuyue and Zhangquan to conquer the southeast in one fell swoop?
I am really determined to complete my merits in one battle. Zhang, Quan and Chen Hongjin can backhand, but Wu and Yue are the country of in-laws and have always been respectful to the imperial court. This time they send troops to help in the battle. If Ji is eager to recruit Wu and Yue, I am afraid that the world will criticize him!"
After hearing what Emperor Liu said, Li Chuyun said: "Your Majesty, the trend of unification is irreversible. According to the previous plan, after pacifying Jiangnan, we should continue to advance against Wuyue according to the situation. Now everything is going well, there is no solid obstruction, and the army is fully capable of taking over.
Go to the southeast and complete the reunification. Why should Your Majesty hesitate? If you are concerned about criticism, just treat the Qian family and the people of the two Zhejiang provinces well in the future!"
Li Chuyun was very familiar with and confident about the strength of the Han Dynasty, so he directly proposed to continue to pacify the southeast. In comparison, Zhao Kuangyin was more cautious and said: "Your Majesty, three years ago, when the King of Wuyue came to Beijing, he
Although His Majesty offered to donate land, although His Majesty did not accept it, it showed the friendship between the two parties. Now that Jiangnan and Lingnan are established, only Zhejiang and Zhejiang are left. How could the King of Wuyue not know how to adapt to the general trend? I think that it is unnecessary to send troops, so I might as well invite the King of Wuyue to the court again!
"
"In this way, is it possible to completely pacify the south before the end of this year?" Emperor Liu asked.
When asked about this, Zhao Kuangyin fell silent and understood what the emperor was thinking.
In Liu Chengyou's original expectation, it would take half a year to pacify Liangjiang and Lingnan. Later, he used a two-pronged political and military offensive to capture Wu and Yue. What he didn't expect was that without fighting, Jiangnan and Nanyue would not be able to send troops. By two months, the two countries had all been pacified, and the progress was surprisingly smooth. Under such circumstances, Liu Chengyou's thoughts changed accordingly. He thought about completely pacifying the south before this year, and then leading a unified China to welcome a new Year.
This is a sign of impatience. The land south of the Yangtze River and Lingnan can only be said to be military stability now. It is still far from the stability of politics and people's livelihood. If you rush for success in this matter and swallow up Wu Yue in one bite, it will be ugly. Secondly, he was afraid of being overstretched. Emperor Liu's only concern was this, so he did not directly issue an order to march into Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Of course, the idea is just an idea after all. He put his hands into the dragon sleeves and thought about it for a while. Liu Chengyou said: "That's it. Let's discuss this matter later. In terms of military, we first think of suppressing the two rivers and focusing on Lingnan!"
"yes!"
"What's going on with the Liao army?" Liu Chengyou asked again.
"There is no new news yet, but according to the previous report from Duke Chan, the Liao army's western expedition should choose to attack the Gaochang Uighurs from the south of Jinshan Mountain. The journey is long and the news transmission is inconvenient. The specific situation is beyond our control. ....."