"Including the battle in the first year of Qianyou, the Shu army suffered direct losses in the hands of our government, which exceeded 50,000. Even for Meng Shu, who had accumulated more than 20 years of savings, it was a serious injury. This time in the southwest The battle lasted for half a year, and Meng Shu consumed a lot of money, food, military strength, and civilian strength, three times that of our army. The strategy of exhausting Shu has achieved great results!" Wei Renpu said:
"As your Majesty said, the two attacks against Guanzhong from the north ended with the loss of troops and generals. Next, Meng Shu will find it difficult to visit the north again. Instead, he will worry that our army will take advantage of the great victory to send troops to conquer Shu!"
"The army came to Beijing to report that in addition to the war situation, there were also Fengxiang generals who jointly signed the petition, hoping to send troops south to capture the four states of Qin and Feng and drive the Shu army to the south of the Qinling Mountains!" Guo Rong continued Wei Renpu's words, said.
Liu Chengyou opened the letter of invitation and browsed through it. His eyes fell on the string of signatures. Headed by Zhao Hui and Yao Yuanfu, they were basically Guanzhong generals. He smiled softly: "The military morale is available. Fengxiang's generals are... I can’t wait to contribute to the country!”
"What do you think?" Liu Chengyou asked Wei Renpu and Guo Rong.
Guo Rong said: "For our dynasty, the Qin and Feng states are important border defense areas, trapped in the Shu Kingdom. The two times they went north, they easily invaded the Wei River, directly threatening Guanzhong, and stabbing the heart. If it weren't for our Han soldiers, Seriously, the Shu generals are clumsy with their troops. Even if they are unable to break through Fengxiang, they can still cause great damage to our land in Weinan.
Although it is unlikely that the Shu army will launch another Northern Expedition in the future, strategically important areas cannot be controlled by the enemy and are often threatened by them. This is something that His Majesty has already known with his wisdom.
In my opinion, you may allow Fengxiang’s army and horses to rest for a while, and then try to attack while the Shu army is defeated!”
Liu Chengyou nodded and surrendered his gaze to Wei Renpu. Wei Renpu remained as humble as usual and did not rush to answer. Instead, he pondered for a moment, considered it, and then said calmly: "Your Majesty, the imperial court had previously given the army to the southwest His instructions were to defend the Shu army, which would consume its national power and exhaust its soldiers and civilians. Neither Fengxiang nor the imperial court was actually ready to march and recapture the four states.
Your Majesty has said that you will not fight an unprepared battle! The frontline generals asked for orders. They all took the Donghe Village battle and severely damaged the Shu army, so they were eager to make contributions. Based on the situation at this time, if we send troops, we should gain something, but if we say Being able to recover all four states and seize the territory of Hanzhong is an unknown thing.
Therefore, based on my opinion, I will temporarily suspend my intention to attack, reorganize the military equipment in the southwest, gather food and equipment, and find other opportunities to attack Shu, and try my best to gain full success in one battle!"
Liu Chengyou did not speak, but Guo Rong said: "Opportunities are created, and the victory of Donghe Village was unexpected. Once a good opportunity appears, it should be cut off due to circumstances and taken advantage of the situation. If we do not take advantage of the new defeat of the Shu army, If you send troops when people's hearts are in turmoil, and wait for them to regroup, you will miss the opportunity.
Reorganizing the troops and hoarding food and grass is a safe strategy. However, when our army is fully prepared, it will also give the Shu army a chance to recover. By then, how much price our army will have to pay to capture the four states.
Nowadays, the war in Huainan has ended in three months. The imperial troops of the two divisions have rested and reorganized, and summer grains from various places are being harvested and stored in warehouses. Soldiers, horses, money, grain, and equipment can all be continuously transported to Guanzhong.
As long as your majesty is determined, the four states of Qin and Feng can fight!"
After saying this, Guo Rong stood up and lowered his hands, waiting for Liu Chengyou's decision.
Liu Chengyou is not surprised by the differences of opinion between the two. It is just his personality. Guo Rong is a very decisive person and is good at seizing opportunities and resolutely promoting implementation.
Of course, Guo Rong's opinions were always meaningful and never slanderous. However, at this time, Liu Chengyou's mind did not seem to be on whether to send troops. Instead, he looked at Guo Rong and Wei Renpu with great interest.
The Privy Council and the Ministry of War stand side by side and are in charge of military and political affairs. There is cooperation between the two bureaucracies, but there are also contradictions and conflicts. Especially after Guo Rong became the deputy privy envoy, with his strength, the friction between the governors increased significantly. .
Guo Rong was serious, Wei Renpu was calm, and after observing the two for a while, Liu Chengyou withdrew his gaze, thought seriously for a while, and said: "The words of the two ministers are all reasonable, it's just a matter of priority!"
"Your Majesty." Wei Renpu remonstrated again and said unhurriedly: "Military wars are never just about sending out troops to fight. Although the Imperial Army in Tokyo has rested and reorganized, the common people in the Central Plains did not recover so quickly due to the fatigue of the war. .Furthermore, in the past few months, the aftermath of Huainan, the rewards for soldiers, and Fengxiang's fierce fighting have all consumed a large amount of the imperial court's finances.
In addition, in the past few months, the imperial court has continued to move, Hedong was restructured, and the border troops were reorganized. It took time to consolidate the results. The financial management of Guanzhong was also on the right track.
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Therefore, I believe that rashly launching another war to capture Qin Feng will do more harm than good to the imperial court, even if we can grit our teeth to support it.
Of course, Privy Council Guo's considerations are indeed reasonable. However, I still suggest that Your Majesty stop the troops for the time being, sort out the military and political affairs, and plan for Qin and Feng later. It doesn't take much, it only takes half a year, and the troops can be mobilized in no time. Night!"
His fingers tapped lightly on the imperial case. This was Liu Chengyou's habitual action when he was considering a decision. Each sound fell into the ears of the two ministers in the palace. Attacking quickly and attacking slowly, each has its own pros and cons. The choice between them, for Liu Chengyou, It seemed a little difficult, which made him hesitate.
Liu Chengyou didn't know much about the military and political situation of the Han Dynasty. However, maybe he didn't realize it himself. After taking Huainan, he became more and more impatient to dominate the world. He wished he could capture Jinghu Lake in a month and destroy Shu in half a year. One year to bring peace to the Tang Dynasty, two years to conquer the world...
Having found a good opportunity and the possibility of implementing it, he was willing to try. In fact, to a certain extent, Liu Chengyou's temperament was somewhat similar to Guo Rong, but he was more reserved than Guo Rong.
"In addition!" Seeing that the emperor seemed a little difficult to make a decision, Wei Renpu stood up and calmly said again: "I think that the previous 'tire Shu strategy' is still feasible.
If your Majesty wants to conquer Shu, he will not worry about his army and horses, but only his dangerous mountains and rivers. No matter whether you go south or west, the journey of thousands of miles will have many checkpoints and passes. It can be said that every step is dangerous. If you attack all the way, you will waste time and lose troops, and achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Hearing what Wei Renpu said, Liu Chengyou's interest was suddenly piqued and he looked at him: "Keep talking!"
"If Feng Xiang organizes his army, he might as well make a big show of attacking Qin Feng, but he will not attack Qin Feng, so that the Lord of Shu will increase his troops to Qin Feng. If he launches his troops in the future, he can also delay the attack on Xu Tu!"
Wei Renpu said it concisely, but with Liu Chengyou's shrewdness, he immediately understood what he meant. The military strength of Hou Shu, regardless of its combat power, cannot be underestimated in terms of numbers. After all, it is supported by the foundation of millions of people. , even if there were heavy losses before and after, it would not be a big problem to arm another 200,000 soldiers.
If it were to attack Shu and rely on its national and military power to defend the country, it would not be an easy task for the Han Dynasty. According to Wei Renpu's strategy, he used the four states of Qin and Feng as bait to lure out the main force of the Shu army and attack Qin. If Feng fights a decisive battle and consumes his military power, it will be annihilated outside Sichuan and Shu. Then, the difficulty of conquering Shu and breaking through will definitely be reduced.
To play such a big game of chess, the Han Dynasty should really not be in a hurry and make full preparations in all aspects, just like conquering the Tang Dynasty.
As for whether Hou Shu will fall into the trap and "obediently" mobilize the main force, Liu Chengyou believes that it is possible. Unless Meng Chang is willing to directly abandon the four states of Qin and Feng, and this possibility is Not big.
"What do Guo Qing think?" Liu Chengyou frowned and looked at Guo Rong.
When asked, Guo Rong directly responded with his hands in hand: "Prime Minister Wei plans the overall situation and has a far-reaching vision. I can't do it as well!"
Guo Rong's words have already made his attitude clear. Obviously, he is more in favor of a big plan than taking the four states of Qin and Feng alone.
"As Wei Qing said, put the advance on hold for the time being and send an order to Fengxiang!" Liu Chengyou made the decision directly.
"Yes!" Guo Rong responded.
"In addition, this time, the three Dukes of Shu, Zhao, Yao, and Shi have worked hard and accomplished great feats. I will summon them to the capital. I will personally receive them and reward them!" After thinking about it, Liu Chengyou then ordered: "As for the army, Xiang Xun As the governor of the southwest, I will command all the troops and horses, train the soldiers and armor, and prepare for the attack on Shu!"
Liu Chengyou's edict is another example of killing several birds with one stone.