In the Chongzheng Hall, the prime ministers and generals were present. This was the second imperial meeting recently chaired by Emperor Liu Chengyou himself. Including Li Gu, who had originally planned to leave for Yangzhou to prepare for Pingnan, he also lost his temper because of the incident in Beijing. The trend slowed down the pace of departure and settled in Kaifeng.
However, during this grand discussion, Li Gu has not expressed his views and has been silent and watching. The reason is also very simple. The emperor has put his butt in the southern affairs. From his personal interests, he supports There is no doubt that we should level the south first, but as a famous minister with an overall view, he cannot completely ignore the threat from the north against his will.
The ministers who held the power of the Han Dynasty were of course divided into two factions.
A group of ministers headed by Fan Zhi and Xue Juzheng strongly suggested defending in the north and attacking in the south, trying their best to repair relations with the Liao Kingdom, and following the established general strategy, after Jiangnan was settled, they would then visit the north. Similar thoughts and remarks were still made at the time. Because of the emperor Liu Chengyou.
Of course, under the current situation, the emperor's attitude has become impartial, and no one can guess his true intentions. The reason why ministers such as Fan Zhi resolutely support the southern advance is that in their view, the importance of unification is far away. In terms of resisting foreign aggression, the so-called principle of "to fight against foreign aggression must first be to stabilize the internal situation". As long as the south is unified, the imperial court can also be free to deal with northern aggression. By then, China's strong foundation will be enough to control the Liao Dynasty.
It was a group of ministers and generals headed by Privy Councilor Chai Rong who supported the Northern Expedition and resolved the Khitan crisis first. More than a month ago, Chai Rong was still discussing Pingnan affairs with the emperor and making temple preparations for it. , why did he suddenly change his tune and leave the game directly, making his attitude clear?
The reason is also the change of the Liao army. Chai Rong is a man with a strong sense of crisis. Previously, there was peace between Han and Liao, and the Han Dynasty could calmly attack the south. Now the Liao Dynasty has shown hostility, and even more The brazen use of troops and their eager gaze made people like Chai Rong feel the thorn in their backs even more deeply.
The reality is that the power has reached the southern part of the Senan, and the Liao army can use this to invade the southern invaders on a large scale. Even if there are strong soldiers and generals guarding the north, how can it cover everything in the huge Youji Plain? The so-called perfect defense line is relatively of.
If the Liao Kingdom went south in a big way, it would be basically impossible to destroy the Han Dynasty. But if the two countries fought in Youji, they would probably destroy it and cause serious damage to the local military and civilians. The early Han Dynasty could hold on to the determination to destroy Hebei. In a fight with the Liao Kingdom, can we still bear such losses?
Even if it can, when the country is strong enough to strike first and gain strategic advantage, why bother to defend passively? Peace in the north must be fought for.
Chai Rong had a similar view to Liu Chengyou, and put forward a clear and realistic goal. The Northern Expedition was not to destroy the Liao Dynasty, but to seize the danger of Yanshan and completely drive the Liao army out of the pass. In addition to making up for the northern defense line, After the huge loophole, whether it is to continue to fight against the Liao Dynasty or to restart the unification war, the Han Dynasty will be more calm and at ease.
The idea proposed by Chai Rong was not too ambitious, but it was feasible. It also touched the heartstrings of many generals with good military vision, so they received a lot of support.
Of course, there are not no supporters in the army for Pingnan. After all, compared with the powerful Northern Liao, the several small independent countries in the south are easier to fight. Destroying the country is also a great achievement, and it is easier to obtain, and it has its wealth and wealth.
temptation.
You don’t need to think too much about the opinions of the generals and commanders assigned to the south. Most people still don’t have a far-sighted and overall perspective. They tend to look at things from their own perspective and express their opinions.
Among the senior generals in Beijing, Zhao Kuangyin expressed his support for the southern expedition in a slightly ambiguous manner. His opinion was to maintain the defense in the north and try to repair relations before pacifying the south. Although he had reservations, his preference was considered
It's obvious.
There are also a large number of people who remain neutral and keep their eyes and ears on the emperor. They will bow their heads and obey the emperor's final decision.
As for the analysis and comparison of the national strength of the two sides, with the support of the Intelligence Department, half of the Liao country can be seen. As for the situation of the Han Dynasty, the ministers responsible for governing this country also have a clear understanding. In short, the current strength of the Han Dynasty
, enough to fight the Liao Kingdom, and have the confidence and confidence to win.
The memorials on the imperial court in the Chongzheng Palace have changed again and are neatly arranged. In addition to the recent civil and military memorials in Beijing and the central government on the affairs of the north and the south, there is also, as expected, the petition for war from the generals in the north.
The remaining king, An Shenqi, and other military envoys all asked for battle one after another. Compared with Tokyo, Southwest, and the southern armies made a lot of money under the strategy of southern expedition, the soldiers in the north were hungry wolves. Even the Liao soldiers in the north
The country is a tough nut, but it dares to speak.
Everyone arrived together, there was no noise, the atmosphere was serious as usual, and another argument was brewing as everyone looked intently. As the chamberlain sang his speech, Liu Chengyou strode in, and all the ministers stood up and saluted.
"Everyone is free of charge!" Sitting down, Liu Chengyou looked around and waved his hands neatly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Looking at the ministers, Liu Chengyou took out a secret report and said: "There is news from Youzhou that Zhao Siwan, the first general under the command of King Yan, has betrayed the Liao Kingdom. The Liao army has secretly gathered a large number of troops, hoping to cooperate with him inside and outside to seize Youzhou!
"
After his words, all the officials present changed their expressions. After more than ten years, the importance of Youzhou to the Han Dynasty no longer needs to be emphasized. Chai Rong's body tensed, his face looked anxious, and he asked slightly rudely
Said: "Your Majesty, what is the unknown outcome?"
Facing the concerned eyes of the ministers, Liu Chengyou's answer made them relieved: "King Lai Yan was alert and noticed his conspiracy in advance, and took decisive measures to arrest Zhao Siwan and his rebels, calm down the internal troubles, and stabilize the morale of the army. Now.
Take active precautions to ward off the Liao army!"
"From this point of view, the unusual movement of the Liao army in the direction of Yanmen can be explained. This must be a feint to attract the attention of the imperial court and Youzhou, and want to deliver a fatal blow to Youzhou. If it is allowed to
If it succeeds, the situation in the north will inevitably deteriorate, and His Majesty's ten-year plan will suffer a major setback! Fortunately, God bless the Han, and the Khitan conspiracy did not succeed!" Murong Yanzhao said with emotion.
After Xiang Xun returned to Tokyo for his victory in pacifying Shu, he was appointed by Liu Chengyou as the commander of the Guards' Ma Bu Army, responsible for the daily management of the Guards Department. This was somewhat unexpected. After all, according to the emperor's past behavior
Xing, who is responsible for destroying the country, even if he continues to be important to him, he must remain idle for a while.
The former Murong Yanzhao returned from pacifying Jinghu and still held the post of palace commander, but was arranged by Liu Chengyou to patrol the border in Hebei for several months. Han Tong was responsible for the daily affairs of the palace commander.
Judging from the appointment of Xiang Xun, the emperor's power seems to have increased. Of course, it is also because he is more confident. Moreover, the authority of the commander-in-chief of the imperial army of the two yamen today is not as good as it was in the early days of the country. All the subordinate armies are Generals have the power to go directly to Heaven to report military matters.
As for Zhao Kuangyin, he was also transferred to the Guards Department as deputy commander, and the two continued to form a team. At this time, Xiang Xun, who was also sitting there, spoke: "Liao's plan was defeated, and fearing its anger, they raised an army and directly sent troops to attack Youzhou. .A war may break out, no matter what, the imperial court should be completely alert and ready for war!"
"Otherwise!" At this time, Fan Zhi shook his head: "It is midsummer now, and the weather is unbearably hot. It is not the time for the Liao army to mobilize! I think that since they have failed, King Yan may not dare to take forceful action if he is well prepared. Soldiers. We have received news from the former that this time the Liao army's southern invaders are just a partial division, and their territory has not been greatly affected. I believe that the Liao Kingdom is not ready for a full-scale war with the Han Dynasty!"
"So, Prime Minister Fan still has illusions about the peace between Han and Liao?" After Fan asked, Chai Rong stood up immediately, faced Liu Chengyou, and said in a slightly fierce tone: "The Han Dynasty has no intention of the Northern Expedition, but the Khitan has the intention of plotting against me. This is Second, from the Battle of Yanmen to the Youzhou conspiracy, we can see his heart. If the soldiers did not use their lives and the King of Yan had police to foil his conspiracy, the situation in the northern border of the Han Dynasty would inevitably collapse, putting our dynasty at a strategic disadvantage against the Liao Dynasty.
Facts have proved that the strength of the Han Dynasty has made the Liao Kingdom deeply fearful and uneasy. With such northern invaders with malicious intentions and evil eyes, how can the Han Dynasty go south with peace of mind, and how can His Majesty sleep peacefully?
Since the Liao Kingdom has taken the initiative to start a war, the only way for the Han Dynasty to break the situation is to face it head-on, rise to the challenge, and adopt an aggressive strategy!"
"I don't agree with what Prime Minister Chai said!" Chai Rong was a little rude, and Fan Zhi was also a hard-tempered person. He immediately stood up and said: "This time the Liao army was obviously in a hurry and was not well prepared for Youzhou's conspiracy. , further proves this point. Your Majesty, I think that the Northern Liao Dynasty may be afraid of the strength of the Han Dynasty, but this change is probably due to Zhao Siwan, who wants to take advantage of the rebel general to seize Youzhou, which is a risky gamble.
Now that the plan has been defeated, how can we dare to use troops rashly again? Moreover, the defeat of Yanmen was enough to frighten them. If the Han Dynasty launches a large-scale northern expedition at this time, the Liao Kingdom will inevitably invade and fight. I hope Your Majesty will think twice. !”
"Sooner or later there will be a decisive battle between the Han and the Liao. Now the Liao has shown its hostility and tore up the peace talks. How can the Han be so embarrassed and bear shame?" Han Tong couldn't help but say.
Fan Zhize said: "Since this is a decisive battle, it is related to the fate of the country, so we should be more cautious. It is better to be late than early, and it is better to be slow than hasty!"
"The outcome of the Northern Expedition is unpredictable. If anything goes wrong, not only will it fail to successfully restore Yunshuo's homeland in Guanshan, but it will also affect the Han Dynasty's ability to completely flatten the south and hinder the process of unification! Which is more important, your Majesty, please think carefully and act carefully!" Fan Zhi solemnly said He said to Liu Chengyou: "I suggest that we send envoys north to communicate with the Lord of Liao, ease relations, eliminate this border conflict and misunderstanding, and continue to buy time for the Han Dynasty to pacify the south!"
"If the threat from the north is not resolved, how can we talk about leveling Jiangnan? Judging from the actions of the Liao Kingdom, they are already on high alert for the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, why would they launch troops brazenly? How could they sit back and watch the Han Dynasty successfully take over Jiangnan and face a
A more powerful enemy with no worries?"
Chai Rong said: "The Sui Dynasty also split the Turks and controlled the northern dangers before moving southward. However, today's Han Dynasty has lost the dangerous passes in the north and has incomplete border defenses. If we do not completely consolidate the fortress defenses, our army will have to go south when it goes south.
It’s the time of Liaonan bandits!”
Fan Zhi said: "Today, the south of the Yangtze River is divided into four parts. The king's army is based on Jinghu, controls Huainan, and controls seven inches of it. He only needs to send a partial army to defeat him. How can it be similar to the Sui Dynasty and Chen Dynasty!"
Probably seeing that Fan Zhi seemed a little lonely, the Third Chief of Staff Xue Juzheng also spoke, his mood seemed calmer, and said: "The Han Dynasty has fought many times to destroy the country in recent years, and the soldiers are inevitably exhausted, and the national treasury has consumed a lot of money.
, I’m afraid it will be difficult to support the Northern Expedition in a short period of time!”
Upon hearing this, Chai Rong immediately said: "The troops mobilized before and after are less than half of the Han army. The armies in the north and the Tokyo Forbidden Army have been trained for many years and are ready for battle. There are hundreds of thousands of them, how can we talk about exhaustion? As for the support of the warehouse, let alone
The income of the great Han Dynasty, including the goods transported from the north of Sichuan and Sichuan, the hundreds and thousands of goods transported by boats, the carriages and livestock, and the roads for several years, could it be that such a huge financial resource was all used up in just a few months?"
As soon as these words came out, Xue Juzheng smiled sarcastically. It was not easy to make excuses in front of the emperor.
Fan Zhi then said: "The situation in the north is still unclear, and the direction of the Liao Kingdom is also unclear. If we send troops to the DPRK, we will actually force them to fight, and we will not give the Han any room to choose. We must not be careless!
"
"..."
Listening to the heated debate among the ministers, Liu Chengyou felt a slight headache. He was silent for a long time and did not say anything. He simply stood up and left the case. After the emperor left, the ministers in the palace looked at each other and tacitly agreed not to speak any more.
, after all, it is not a vegetable market, there is no need to listen to the Lord, and there is no need for these speakers to continue arguing.
Before long, the chamberlain Sun Yanxi came to convey Liu Chengyou's oral instructions, allowing all ministers to temporarily return to their duties and handle government affairs. Obviously, the emperor still had not made a decision. Since Liu Chengyou came to the throne, such moments of hesitation are rare, and every time, it is
Face major decisions.
In fact, since the conquest of the Huaihe River in the fourth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, there has not been much controversy about the north-south strategy. However, this time Liu Chengyou asked the Han Dynasty to discuss it again, which shows that his thoughts have indeed changed.