Beside the lawn, there is a flowerbed with a group of flowers planted in a very orderly layout. In this season, peonies and azaleas bloom most vigorously, and the patches of purple are very bright.
However, in this harmonious atmosphere, there is a young figure active in it. He is not chasing flowers and butterflies, but holding a wooden sword and chopping in the middle. He keeps making "haha" sounds in his mouth, urging him.
It was a joy to break flowers and branches, but her bright little eyes kept glancing towards where Emperor Liu was sitting.
Sure enough, Emperor Liu's attention was successfully attracted. He noticed the movement, turned his head and scolded: "Little Thirteen!"
This scolding immediately had an effect. The little guy stopped, and Emperor Liu stood up and walked forward. This child was naturally Liu Ye, the thirteenth son of Emperor Liu. He was only seven years old this year. His mother was from the Qin family, a Yao nationality, and was granted the title of Emperor Liu when he first entered the palace.
The beauty, Jieyu of the later Jin Dynasty, gave birth to Liu Ye and was named Concubine Xiang.
Emperor Liu looked at the mess in the flower garden and stared at Liu Ye who was led in front of him by the chamberlain. The emperor's majesty still made the boy a little afraid. He couldn't help but look down at the toes of his shoes, looking shy and nervous.
"What are you doing with your head down? Lift it up! Let me ask you, what are you doing!" Emperor Liu asked.
Upon hearing the question, Liu Ye held his head high, waving the wooden sword in his hand, and said with a little excitement in his childish voice: "I'm killing the enemy!"
Emperor Liu looked surprised, but he quickly glared at him and asked with interest: "You are so young, what kind of enemy can you kill?"
Liu Ye pointed to the flowers and trees behind him and replied: "These are Liao thieves, and I am killing Liao thieves!"
Hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately became happy and asked softly: "Who taught you this?"
Liu Ye looked at Xiang Xun with a confused look and said, "I taught you this from Master Xiang!"
Xiang Xun was still enjoying the fun, but when he heard what the Thirteenth Prince said, his face suddenly darkened. Facing Emperor Liu's puzzled look, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I don't dare to teach the prince carelessly..."
"Little Thirteen, tell me, master, he didn't teach you to bully these flowers and plants!" Emperor Liu looked at Liu Ye, even more interested: "What's going on?"
Liu Ye said: "Tell the master that the Han Dynasty is attacking the Liao bandits. The second brother, the fourth brother, and the sixth brother are all on the battlefield. I can't join them, so I can only regard these flowers and plants as Liao bandits."
Hearing this, Emperor Liu was a little happy. He knelt down, touched his thin body, and brushed off the two scattered petals from his head. His gentle tone was encouraging: "You have good ambitions, but you
You are still young. If you want to kill the enemy, you should wait another ten years! Now, you should still go to school seriously and go to the battlefield in the future..."
"Okay!" Liu Ye looked at Emperor Liu and nodded repeatedly, very happy, with a kind of admiration in his clear and bright eyes.
This look made Emperor Liu's heart tremble. He looked up and saw that his older brothers were playing on the grass and chasing Cuju. Only the thirteenth son was too young to participate.
After touching Liu Ye's head, Emperor Liu said to him with a small smile on his face, "However, these flowers and trees are innocent. You destroyed them for no reason, but you made a mistake!"
Hearing what Emperor Liu said, Liu Ye's little head couldn't help but droop, and he whispered: "Yes!"
"If you make a mistake, you will be punished!"
Liu Ye nodded, his eyes wandered around, and with his short legs, he ran to the flower bed, picked up a broken branch, handed it back to Emperor Liu, and then spread his palms...
Emperor Liu was stunned by Liu Ye's self-conscious behavior, and then laughed: "Okay! You made a mess in the flower garden, and I will punish you to clean it up!"
"You won't hit me?" Liu Ye asked doubtfully.
"No fight!" Emperor Liu couldn't help laughing.
Hearing this, Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing this, Emperor Liu greeted Yantuo: "Prepare something for him to clean up. Don't help him, let him do it himself!"
"yes!"
Soon, the little figure in the flower garden became busy again.
Emperor Liu and Xiang Xun sat down and sighed: "It may not be a good thing to have too many sons. They are all naughty and mischievous..."
Having said this, Emperor Liu always had a smile on his lips. Xiang Xun looked calmly and said softly: "Your Majesty, the Thirteenth Prince is usually very well-behaved. He studies martial arts and works hard!"
Emperor Liu was slightly reserved, pondering for a moment, his eyes gradually softened, and said: "It seems that I still care too little about my young sons! It is my fault that I do not discipline my children!"
After listening to what Emperor Liu said, Xiang Xun said: "Your Majesty is in charge of the military affairs and has many affairs to deal with every day. How can he take care of everything? On the contrary, his ministers fail to share their worries..."
Seeing that Xiang Xun was doing this again, Emperor Liu waved his hand to stop him and said with a smile: "However, even this young boy knows how to kill the enemy and serve the country, so why worry about the soldiers of the Northern Expedition not being able to inspire their martial arts and defeat the Liao traitors!"
"Your Majesty is right!"
...
Inside the Privy Council, it was still in the military machine room. As the Northern Expedition unfolded vigorously, the main work of the Privy Council was also invested in the upper levels. The military machine room was the command and dispatch center in the rear. Emperor Liu's personal visit also brought a bit of tension to the staff of the Privy Council. .
“There are three main routes from Yanshan to Liaodong!” Emperor Liu and Xiang Xun sat aside and listened carefully to Shi Shouxin’s explanation: “One, go out of Yuguan and take the Liaoxi Corridor, which is the main road; The Yanshan trail is not only obstructed and difficult; the third is to transport troops through the sea!"
"According to the camp report, the specific advance plan of the East Route Army is also these three. The 50,000 troops along the way, led by Yongqing Marquis Wang Yanchao, will leave Tanzhou and attack Liao Xinghua, Shenshan and other places to contain their troops. If a breakthrough is achieved, The best way to attack his Xi tribe!
The rest of the front and rear troops, 30,000 elite front troops, led by Gu'an Hou Ma Renyu, first attacked Jinzhou. Jinzhou is located at the end of the Western Liaoning Corridor. It is an important road in and out of Liaodong, and it is also the first pass for troops to enter Liaodong. The Liao Kingdom has a heavy army. , According to the report of the Second Military Intelligence Department of Wude, the city gate is solid and hard to obtain, which should be a big difficulty!
As for the sea route, Guo Tingwei, the Marquis of Hai'an, will lead them to first eliminate the Liao and Suzhou navy, clear the Liaohai Sea, ensure the smoothness and safety of the sea route, and choose a place to land in order to establish a fortress, and then transport the army from Wuqing Port!"
As Shi Shouxin spoke, Emperor Liu and Xiang Xun nodded, obviously approving of the arrangement of the camp.
"Xingmin, you were the commander of the navy back then, what do you think?" Emperor Liu asked Xiang Xun's opinion.
Xiang Xun nodded and said: "There are many fortified castles in Liaodong. Although our army has excellent equipment and is good at attacking fortresses, if we attack one city at a time, it will inevitably waste time and cause more losses. According to the camp arrangement, if we can
Carrying out the intention, using water and land forces together to seize the physical victory in Liaodong, it will be difficult for the Liao army to look at the head and tail, and it will be attacked from both sides, greatly increasing the chance of victory. And with the advantage of the water army and the ability of Hai'an Marquis to unify the army, I believe that it will be successful!"
It's not that Emperor Liu likes to hear good words, but Xiang Xun's analysis is indeed well-founded and very pleasant to listen to, even though he has heard it in a similar form many times.
"Is there any report of the battle situation?" Emperor Liu looked at Shi Shouxin.
Shi Shouxin responded: "The navy attacked across the sea, but no news has been reported yet! According to the latest battle report, Ma Renyu's troops marched hundreds of miles, and encountered the Liao army's thousands of cavalry charging into the formation, but refused. Although they were constantly harassed afterwards, they
Advance steadily. If nothing unexpected happens, the army has already arrived at Jinzhou. After all, the Western Liaoning Corridor is only three hundred miles long. The Liao army can delay, but it cannot affect the mighty momentum of our army!"
"Taking the initiative and charging into battle with thousands of cavalry, the Liao army is quite courageous. Who will lead the army?" Emperor Liu became a little interested.
"Brother Yelvxiu, the defense envoy of Liaojinzhou!" Shi Shouxin said: "A penniless man!"
Hearing this name, Emperor Liu frowned slightly, and then gave instructions: "The Liao army still has capable people! Send an imperial edict to the camp, so that they must not be careless and underestimate the enemy!"
"yes!"
When the army was out, Emperor Liu's intervention in the front line was often only a similar reminder edict, and the generals were used to it...
"Looking at the reaction measures of the Liao army, the will to fight is very determined! I wonder if Liaoyang can be captured in half a year?" Emperor Liu said after a long time.
Half a year later, winter will come, and winter is the biggest enemy of marching operations. The Liao army is more accustomed to winter operations. If the Bohai Sea freezes again, the navy's advantage will no longer exist.
Shi Shouxin cannot give a completely positive answer to this question. He can only say that if the strategic and tactical intentions can proceed smoothly, it is not a big deal to capture Liaoyang.
And Emperor Liu, after pondering, just expressed his full support for the Northern Expedition!