We were still in the Chongzheng Hall, with the same ministers, but the atmosphere was completely different, because this time the doors and windows of the Zhengdian Hall were closed, and all the eunuchs who were waiting on Gong'e except Sun Yanxi were dismissed.
Seeing this secretive scene, all the civil and military personnel present knew that the emperor had made a decision. They looked at each other and kept their minds tight, waiting for Liu Chengyou to speak.
"Last night, I finally had a good sleep!" Liu Chengyou looked around and said with a relaxed smile. This performance further confirmed the suspicions of the ministers.
Facing the gazes of all the ministers, Liu Chengyou picked up a memorial from the imperial case and said: "Last night, I received another petition for challenge!"
His attention was attracted by the memorial in Liu Chengyou's hand. During this period, the emperor received almost all petitions for war. What's so special about this letter?
Liu Chengyou did not continue to pretend, a faint smile flashed across the corner of his mouth, and said: "This is the letter jointly signed by King Zhao Kuangzan of Yan and Gao Fang, the observation envoy of Lulong, hoping that the imperial court can send troops to the north to expel the Khitan and regain Guanshan!"
After the emperor finished speaking, Chai Rong perked up and immediately said: "Your Majesty, King Yan has great merits and great virtues, and his heart is so sincere. How can the imperial court ignore his request and cool the hearts of the people with lofty ideals?"
Other civil and military officials also showed a little joy. They were all knowledgeable people, and they could understand King Yan's thoughts behind this letter of invitation. For a long time, the Han court had no idea about the existence of King Yan and the Yan army. I should be wary, after all, now that the vassal towns have been wiped out, Youyan's self-contained system has indeed become somewhat prominent, giving people a feeling of something stuck in their throats.
Of course, the feudal town is second. After all, there are Xiazhou and Yanzhou in the northwest. The key lies in the special geographical location of Youzhou. It is the most important part of the northern defense line. The finishing touch cannot be directly controlled. How can it make people feel at ease if it is in their hands? Otherwise, when he was patrolling the north, An Shenqi would not have suggested that he send troops to go north and capture Youzhou first.
This time, King Yan's submission to the petition for war was very clear. Everyone knew that once the Han army moved north, the Yan army would be completely integrated into the Han military and political system.
After Chai Rong finished speaking, Liu Chengyou stood up and walked to the map hanging high in the hall. Seeing his actions, everyone also stood up. The map of the Han Dynasty in Chongzheng Hall was updated and redrawn.
Unconsciously, after ten years of expansion strategy, the territory of the Han Dynasty has become very huge. Looking at it, one can't help but feel a sense of pride and complacency in his mind.
"The struggle between the North and the South ends here!" After a long time, Liu Chengyou turned around, with a strong look in his eyes, and said with emotion: "My lords, I have decided to make the Northern Expedition. Pingnan will be put on hold for the time being. Next, the court will use all its strength. Prepare for the Northern Expedition and capture Guanshan in one fell swoop!"
The emperor made up his mind and immediately suppressed the previous controversy. Chai Rong and others were naturally overjoyed, but Fan Zhi, although he still had reservations, still solemnly bowed to Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty has made the decision. I have all my strength to assist Bi and attack the Khitans from the north!"
Looking at Fan Zhi, Liu Chengyou showed an expression of satisfaction. No matter how big the differences or fierce disputes were before, once the decision was made, he could quickly change his attitude and not abandon state affairs with selfish ambitions. Just focus on this, Fan Zhi. The prime minister can still be in office for a while.
In fact, after so many years, the Han Dynasty court has created an atmosphere of "the monarch and his ministers are of one heart and work together". This is the temperament of a strong country displayed by an empire that strives to make progress.
After sitting down again, the monarch and his ministers began to directly discuss the matter of marching into the army. War is a matter of life and death. It is not just a slap on the head, then the army gathers, and then piles up to attack the city and evict the stronghold, especially for such a big project as the Northern Expedition.
Preliminary preparations are necessary for temple planning. Fortunately, in terms of war, over the years, the Han Dynasty court has accumulated enough experience, and its preparations for war have become systematic and systematic. Even the scale of the Northern Expedition to Liao Kingdom will be far greater than before. .
Liu Chengyou made arrangements directly. He first looked at Chai Rong and said: "For matters such as troop deployment, military marching strategy, and timing of dispatching troops, the Privy Council should issue a detailed charter as soon as possible and implement it step by step!"
"Yes!" Chai Rong responded immediately, his bright eyes glowing with energy, obviously already thinking about it.
"The Ministry of War is still responsible for the weapons and armaments!" Liu Chengyou said to Wei Renpu again.
Wei Renpu was well prepared for this and calmly handed over his hand, "Yes!"
"The Third Division should work closely with the other ministries and divisions to plan for the loss of troops and prepare a supply of money and food for the army to go north. Be subdued!"
Xue Juzheng responded: "Yes!"
What Liu Chengyou said was just a guideline. In fact, the ministers would do it and do it well without him having to say it. Their previous experience was enough to reassure Liu Chengyou.
What Liu Chengyou really needs to be concerned about is strategy. He pondered for a while and continued: "Although the Northern Expedition is decided, many parties need to prepare. It is not advisable to act too hastily. It is more necessary to observe the movements of the Khitan and make decisions accordingly. Before the Northern Expedition, regarding the situation of the Khitan , must be closely monitored and spied on. The entire army must be loose on the outside and tight on the inside. Make preparations as soon as possible and deploy them as secretly as possible. It is not advisable to make a big splash. As for the dispute between the north and the south of the DPRK, it can continue!"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the ministers all understood and wanted to confuse everyone, and then they all made suggestions.
Fan Zhi reported: "Your Majesty, the imperial court should send envoys north to discuss the Han-Liao conflict, resolve misunderstandings, and repair relations!"
The same suggestion came from Fan Zhi this time with a different tone. This time, it was obviously to confuse the Khitans. In response, Liu Chengyou directly agreed: "Just send Wang Zhaoyuan, he has long been interested in envoys to Liao. This time I will fulfill him!"
Hearing the emperor's decision, Fan Zhi and others couldn't help but show a bit of amusement. Wang Zhaoyuan, a "strange man", still had some reputation in the court. However, the mission itself was just a strategy, and there was no need to consider whether it would succeed or not. Using such a A "strange person" sending an envoy might achieve miraculous results, so no one objected.
Li Gu, who had not spoken much during the dispute between the North and the South, also spoke this time: "Your Majesty, if we carry out the Northern Expedition, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians will be sent. It is almost impossible for such large-scale preparations to be carried out completely secretly without leaking the information. .
I think that in the name of strengthening the northern defense, the imperial court can allocate grain, grass and weapons, and at the same time spread the word of going south, and make moves to mobilize troops and horses from the south, so as to confuse the Khitan people.
"In addition, the old minister should resign to Your Majesty and go to Yangzhou to take up his post!" Li Gu cupped his hands and asked Liu Chengyou.
Li Gu's strategy was to confuse the enemy and hide his strategic intentions. The fact that Li Gu was about to become the head coach of Pingnan was actually known to everyone in the court. With the current strength of the Han Dynasty, he no longer needed to be as secretive as in the past if he wanted to conquer the south. Yes.
Liu Chengyou learned about it, looked at Li Gu, and saw his calm expression, and his mood was a little complicated. Originally, Liu Chengyou took Li Gu as his commander, just to make him famous and great. Now, there are changes in the north, and the strategy has shifted, and he needs to use it. He temporarily stopped his desire to make meritorious deeds.
When Li Gu was transferred from Hebei to Beijing, he wanted to make great use of him in Pingnan affairs. Now the strategic direction has been changed to the north. For Li Gu, it is also untimely and difficult to advocate. A feeling of ambition.
Of course, Li Gu was not yet sixty years old, so to be honest, Liu Chengyou would not have such feelings. However, he knew that after years of hard work, Li Gu was actually in poor health and contracted wind paralysis, but he could still serve the big man. How long it will take is difficult to guarantee.
But looking at his performance, Liu Chengyou could still feel that Li Gu was willing to restrain his ambitions for the sake of the country. Regarding this, Liu Chengyou solemnly said: "The army is marching north, and I will leave Li Qing to defend the south of the Yangtze River! "
After a pause, Liu Chengyou said more emotionally: "You should take care of yourself!"
After Li Guy finished speaking, the Privy Council accepted the decree and Li Chuyun made another suggestion: "Your Majesty, the imperial court can send an envoy to Goryeo to ask the King of Goryeo to invite him to send troops to attack the old land of Bohai!"
"Goryeo is facing the Khitan threat directly and may not dare to take the initiative to invade, but you can still try!" Liu Chengyou said to Fan Zhi: "Let Fan Qing arrange this matter, but you have to watch the timing!"
"yes!"
Zhao Kuangyin also followed up and said: "Your Majesty, in the battle against Liao, we will face the mobile threat of the enemy's cavalry. Although the Han horse army has been operating for many years, its numbers and horse strength are still insufficient. Besides, except for the Forbidden Army, they are mostly scattered across various borders, making it difficult to centralize and appoint them. "I have visited the northwest, and I may be able to summon Tubo, Wen Mo, and Dangxiang with money and silk to help the Tibetan cavalry in the battle!"
In the army of the Han Dynasty, there was a Tibetan cavalry group composed mainly of "ethnic minorities", which was formed by Liu Zhiyuan. It was highly Hanized and was now stationed in Hedong, under the jurisdiction of the capital.
Regarding Zhao Kuangyin's suggestion, Liu Chengyou frowned and seemed to be hesitant, worried that the Fan cavalry would be difficult to control. However, on second thought, if a group of people could be recruited and used as cannon fodder, the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages. Moreover, if the recruitment could be successful, , is also an opportunity to implement planning for the barbarians in the northwest, which is conducive to the development of the northwest economic strategy in the future.
Therefore, after a moment's consideration, Liu Chengyou immediately said: "Ask Guo Chongwei to go to the northwest and be responsible for recruiting people and conducting armed training on the spot!"
"yes!"
Guo Chongwei was a general of the Han Dynasty's cavalry army, well, he was Guo Wei's old subordinate. Even though Guo Wei had been under his care for several years, the imperial court was still not immune to his influence in appointing generals.