Chapter 146 You have to fight in person when you arrive
In the Privy Council.
During this period of time, it has been very busy. The heads of all the staff are tense. The war in Yedu is not going well, and they are the busiest. Dealing with urgent matters, adjusting military defenses, moving ordnance, rationing auxiliaries... ...Basically, it revolves around the battle against Du.
Liu Chengyou sat behind the writing desk, frowning slightly, chin resting on his crossed fingers, staring at a map on the desk in trance. What the drawing showed was the Han army's defense map on the front line. It was very detailed, and the offensive and defensive situation of Yedu was clear. It can be seen that there are explanations such as troop strength, terrain, trenches, trenches, etc.
As far as Liu Chengyou saw, an aura of "security" came to his face. After several attempts to attack failed, Gao Xingzhou started "engineering" work under the city of Yedu, building strongholds wantonly, and he was determined to fight to the end. , looking like Du Chongwei was trapped to death.
The posture of the Han army obviously frightened Du Chongwei. Although he could not see the situation clearly, he knew from his feelings that the actions of the Han army were a great threat to him. He couldn't help but send troops out of the city to destroy the strongholds and attack them. The Han army's rhythm of setting up a stronghold was severely beaten by the troops sent by Gao Xingzhou, who had been well prepared. After several exchanges, more than 3,000 troops were lost, and several losses were suffered. Du Chongwei learned the lesson and huddled in the city honestly, not daring to do so. Ease out.
When the fortifications outside the city of Ye were linked together, and the dogs crossed their fangs and headed straight towards the city, the rebels were unable to move and were completely suppressed. Afterwards, Gao Xingzhou sent a message to Wei Bo in the name of the deployment of the camp capital. As expected, all the states and counties surrendered, declared a clear break with Du Chongwei, surrendered to the court, and even took the initiative to provide military supplies and young men to alleviate the shortage of the Han army.
The Weibo area is headquartered in Yedu, but without the support of other states and counties, no matter how many soldiers and abundant food there are in Yedu, it will still be a trapped beast. Moreover, this trapped beast is not sharp in the first place. The claws and teeth have been smoothed away.
From Liu Chengyou's point of view, Gao Xingzhou had done well enough, even with Murong Yanchao holding him back. However, he was conservative, but Liu Chengyou could understand it and support it to a certain extent. After all, Yedu City If the city is strong and cannot be conquered, then we should first establish a firm foothold under the city and slowly plan for it.
However, the imperial court continued to criticize his fighting style. People like Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao and others did not agree with his strategy. In their view, he attacked with heavy troops and achieved many victories later. Du Chongwei, who is at the end of his rope, should defeat the city in one battle and return with victory.
But Gao Xingzhou was such a procrastinating person. To put it nicely, it would be described as prudent and prudent. If it was said to be unpleasant, it would be to support the bandit's self-respect and have ulterior motives. Yes, someone has already whispered it in Liu Zhiyuan's ears.
In the final analysis, it is still a matter of trust. If the old general from Hedong were to lead the army, even if there was criticism, it would not be like this. Regarding the atmosphere permeating the court, Liu Chengyou suddenly felt horrified. The general commanded a large number of troops outside, and the court behind him was suspicious of himself. , this has always been a taboo.
Liu Chengyou couldn't sit still, so he stood up and angrily scolded the slanderous ministers in the court, criticizing whoever spoke, including Su Fengji, who had been trying to make friends and support him before. In order to endorse Gao Xingzhou's platform, Liu Chengyou This was the first time he had a face-to-face argument with a court official.
Of course, Liu Chengyou was not fighting alone. Wang Zhang, Guo Wei, Wang Jun and others firmly supported his opinions. In terms of matters, Wang Zhang and Yang Bin were basically on the same page, but this time, they had different opinions.
In private, Liu Chengyou also persuaded Liu Zhiyuan very solemnly. He didn't need to talk too much about the truth. Telling the previous history and similar stories was enough to make Liu Zhiyuan alert.
Of course, by taking history as a mirror, we can know the ups and downs. But knowing is one thing, and being able to do it is another matter. Otherwise, since ancient times, similar incidents of kings and generals being suspicious and destroying the Great Wall would be repeated. .
We have been debating for so long. Now that you have hired someone, now they are still working hard for you on the front line. How can you be so suspicious behind the scenes? Liu Zhiyuan is indeed not a fool, and he still has a bit of low-level self-esteem. The "hobby of the world" gained through hard work was taught by his son. Even though he could not save his face, he still issued an edict to prohibit courtiers from making suspicious remarks again. Violators will be severely punished.
Liu Chengyou also saw that if there were no wise men among the Han officials in the Manchu Dynasty, it was obviously not the case. However, there were probably not many of these people who truly thought about the country and the country wholeheartedly. Including Yang Yi and Shi Hongzhao, what they wanted might be They are different, but they all have something in common. Daji itself. The righteousness between the emperor and his ministers is the true portrayal of the relationship between the emperor and the ministers in this era, because there is no guarantee that someone will change on the throne of the emperor.
Gao Xingzhou was lucky enough to have Liu Chengyou argue vociferously for him in court. This time, he did it purely out of justice and without any selfish motives, but the responsibility he showed this time became more and more popular. He won a lot of hearts and minds as a general.
Under Liu Chengyou's strong intervention, the evil trend called "suspiciousness" in the court was curbed. However, the war situation in Yedu was still a difficult problem before the court, which had to be solved. It couldn't be done, just Then keep surrounding us.
The imperial court also had its own difficulties. Wang Zhangli's Third Division originally raised supplies for half a year to counter the rebellion. However, the actual consumption was often much higher than expected, especially for something as uncontrollable as a war.
Who could have expected that the war against rebellion would be such a protracted one. The "tortoise shells" built by Gao Xingzhou outside Yedu City consumed far more people and material resources than those ignorant courtiers imagined. .In this way, the Han army was able to successfully confine the war to the corner of Yedu and mobilize a large number of resources from the town of Weibo nearby. Otherwise, the hole would be even bigger.
In the final analysis, as the money reserves are gradually depleted and the war is not progressing smoothly, the court is less confident to suppress the rebellion. Wang Zhang is already preparing to raise taxes on Tokyo's merchants and workers. , and had the intention of "raising donations" from the courtiers and generals. On the other side of Liyang Ferry, a special person organized a large number of people to salvage the ships that sank when the Khitan crossed to the north, regardless of whether they were reliable or not.
Of course, it is already late autumn, and the autumn harvest work in various states and counties has already begun to harvest autumn grain. However, from harvesting to tax payment and storage, this also requires a time process, which will not quench the thirst. Therefore, just yesterday, the imperial court issued an order , the Han soldiers in Yedu first took Wei Bo's grain nearby and used it, and then compensated the people after the war.
The order was given easily, but when it was actually implemented, it would be a "disaster" for the people in Weibo. This was an act that lost the hearts of the people. However, there was no other way but to stick to the war. As for the hearts of the people, We can only deal with it gradually in the future. If something goes wrong in counterinsurgency, it will not be the people's support that can make up for the loss.
"Your Highness, there is an urgent report from Yedu!" While thinking, Wei Renpu hurried in and presented Liu Chengyou with a military report.
Watch for signs and hurry up.
After taking a breath and taking it, Liu Chengyou asked directly without looking at it: "Failed to break the city?"
Wei Renpu nodded with a serious expression: "Yes!"
On the first day of September, Yedu had been besieged for more than a month. Under pressure from all sides, Liu Zhiyuan finally couldn't bear it anymore. He issued a golden order and ordered Gao Xingzhou to carry out the siege. After all, the initiative was completely in his hands and he kept delaying the siege. There is no solution, you have to try it. No, the result is here.
"Fortunately, the situation is not too bad, everything is still under the control of our army!" Liu Chengyou breathed a sigh of relief after reading almost word for word.
The military reports from Yedu were almost once a day. In addition to the military intelligence report, this letter was also regarded as Gao Xingzhou's confession. He ordered the siege of the city, and the soldiers rushed to the city and attacked Yedu with all their strength. For several days, he failed to go down to the city. He lost more than 5,000 troops and wounded twice as many, and asked the court to punish him. However, this time, Gao Xingzhou made a more certain promise, giving him another month to fight Ye. All must be broken.
"However, it is not easy to explain things between His Majesty and the princes in the court." Wei Renpu sighed. He had personally experienced the previous turmoil.
In front of Wei Renpu, Liu Chengyou basically said: "The war has reached this point, it is difficult for Gao Linggong. He can maintain the situation in Yedu. Gao Linggong has made great contributions. In the final analysis, it is the imperial court. The problem of employing men and dispatching generals!"
Wei Renpu listened to these words and did not dare to discuss them. Liu Chengyou was clearly alluding to the emperor's appointment of Murong Yanchao.
"Have Privy Councilor Yang and Privy Councilor Guo not come back yet?" Liu Chengyou asked.
Yang Bin and Guo Wei, one went to discuss affairs in front of the emperor, and the other went to inspect the armor and inspect the imperial army. On the Privy Council side, Liu Chengyou was on duty.
"No."
"Let's go to Chui Gong Hall now!" Liu Chengyou picked up the military report and went quickly and resolutely.
Liu Chengyou was also very familiar with Chui Gong Hall, so he went in directly without informing him. In the meantime, Liu Chengxun did not go to Kaifeng Mansion to sit in court, but was with Yang Bin and other ministers, and Liu Zhiyuan was angry.
A little surprised, have you received the news that the city has failed?
"What's wrong?" Liu Chengyou asked quietly.
Liu Chengxun also briefly explained to him in a low voice.
"It's unreasonable. Is this high-profile guy threatening me?" Liu Zhiyuan suddenly shouted violently.
The matter was really not that complicated. After hearing that Du Chongwei had rebelled, the Han court's encirclement and suppression campaign was unsuccessful, and Nanping King Gao Congjie could no longer sit still. He sent an envoy to Tokyo to bring a letter to Liu Zhiyuan, requesting the court to transfer the land bordering Jingnan. Yingzhou and Fuzhou were ceded to him, otherwise... I don't say it clearly, but that's what it meant. How could Liu Zhiyuan not be angry.
Liu Chengyou sighed silently in his heart, this is the adverse effect of being unable to fight for a long time. Gao Laizi's side is impatient and dancing happily, but if Yedu side delays it for a longer time, I'm afraid more monsters and monsters will come out. Jumping around.
"What are you whispering about? What's the etiquette of whispering in the palace!" Liu Zhiyuan turned to point the finger at Liu Chengyou, stared at him and asked: "Is there anything to report?"
"Battle report from Yedu." Liu Chengyou lowered his head slightly, holding the official document in both hands that might make Liu Zhiyuan even more angry.
However, what was a bit unexpected for Liu Chengyou was that after reading it, Liu Zhiyuan did not get angry, but just fell silent, but his expression was obviously not very good-looking.
Soon, all the courtiers present learned about the failure of breaking the city, and there was silence.
"Has An Shenqi arrived in Renxiangzhou?" Liu Zhiyuan asked suddenly.
Not daring to be negligent, Yang Bin immediately replied: "Your Majesty, An Shijun has been in town for more than a month."
After thinking about it, Liu Zhiyuan waved his hand, and the emperor's sleeves were raised, and he ordered coldly: "On Gao Laizi's side, ignore him and drive his envoys out of Tokyo. Send an edict to An Shenqi and Jing." As long as the army in the south sticks to their duties, that's all. If there is any abnormal movement, fight them back!"
Seeing Liu Zhiyuan's tough attitude, Yang Bin opened his mouth and wanted to persuade him. However, looking at Liu Zhiyuan's autistic face that looked like Liu Chengyou's before, he honestly closed his mouth and responded respectfully: " yes."
He secluded himself for a while, and a wave of exhaustion could not help but surface on his face. Looking around, Liu Zhiyuan's voice sounded particularly calm: "It is not good to defeat the city. If the battle situation in Yedu is like this, what can be done?"
In the palace, most of them were civil servants. They looked at each other for a few times, but no one dared to put forward opinions rashly.
In fact, at this point, there are not many options to choose from.
It is impossible to withdraw from the siege. Not to mention the early victory, the imperial court has invested so much manpower and material resources, and it cannot be wasted. The most important thing is that if such a high price is paid, Du Chongwei is allowed to live. After coming down, how can the Han Dynasty court talk about majesty, and what else can it do to intimidate the Jiedu and other separatist regimes in the world.
Therefore, we must fight to the death and capture Du Chongwei at all costs.
"How about waiting for another month?" Li Hui, the envoy of Xuanhui South Academy, came out and asked cautiously.
Liu Zhiyuan only gave him a look, and he bowed his head and retreated.
It can be seen from Liu Zhiyuan's attitude that he obviously doesn't have much patience anymore.
Seeing this, Liu Chengyou stepped out of the queue at the right time and made a standard salute: "According to what I have observed, the situation in Yedu is stagnant. Du Chongwei is at the end of his strength and is not afraid. Anyone who cannot be defeated by our army will have difficulty in boosting morale. I think that if Your Majesty can personally visit the front line and come as the Supreme Emperor, his morale will be high and the thieves will be defeated with one blow!"
Although Liu Chengyou's words were a bit exaggerated, his suggestions were clear.
Liu Zhiyuan looked at him and felt that his mood was complicated. Although his son was young, he had really experienced it. His calm and calm demeanor as a general actually made him a bit inferior to his imperial father.
In his mind, Liu Chengyou's proposal during the palace meeting that day was still so positive, but he didn't listen, which led to the current situation.
Without thinking for a long time, Liu Zhiyuan stood up and stopped asking any more questions. His expression was extremely firm: "I propose that you choose a day to conquer in person!"