The conquest of Liaodong is by no means a great success.
Why was Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty so talented and strategist that he had such a stranglehold on Liaodong that he insisted on commanding millions of troops, wasting countless amounts of money and food, and wanted to calm down the political situation even if the domestic war was rife and the political situation was unstable? There was certainly a desire to create eternal achievements, but
What's more, they are afraid of Liaodong.
From the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty, the land of Hebei has developed greatly. The fertile land of the vast plains has provided the empire with sufficient food, making it a granary second only to the Guanzhong Plain and its status has become more and more important. And Goguryeo's continuous development
The rise has brought huge threats to the increasingly prosperous Hebei.
Once Goguryeo's cavalry breaks through the Hexi Corridor and breaks into the Hebei Plain, it will bring huge harm to the grain fields of Yima Pingchuan. The mobility and destructive power of the cavalry are the strongest among many arms. Farming requires a stable situation and long-term investment.
Goguryeo's cavalry only had to take a circuit on the flat and vast plains. Even if the entire army was finally destroyed under the encirclement and suppression of the army, it would be equivalent to destroying a year's harvest.
Without food, the people had to abandon their homes and businesses and become refugees. The newly developed land of Hebei would once again fall into desolation. How could the lord of the empire endure it?
Therefore, conquering Liaodong has become a difficult problem that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty had to face.
The current situation is also the same. At the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in a melee, and Dou Jiande swept Hebei. With his defeat, countless heroes of Hebei were buried on the battlefield, their bones were abandoned in the wild, and there was no rooster crow for thousands of miles. After the great development after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Wei
, Bei, Xing, Heng, Ji, Zhao, Cang, You and other states are extremely prosperous, how can they tolerate being coveted by Goguryeo who lives in Liaodong?
Therefore, the eastern expedition to Goguryeo was not only a step forward for His Majesty Li Er to contribute to his eternal imperial career, but also political correctness.
Otherwise, countless civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty would not be able to allow him to mobilize the entire country's combat power and launch such a national war for his own selfish desires...
However, Fang Jun does not believe that the strategic position of Liaodong is higher than that of the Western Regions at present.
Why did Liaodong become more and more a threat to the Central Plains Dynasty?
This starts from the Northern Song Dynasty.
The capital of the Northern Song Dynasty was Bianliang, and the center of gravity of the entire country was in the Yellow River Basin and the Jiangnan region. Whether it was the Liao Kingdom that occupied the north, or the Jin Kingdom that emerged in the east of Liaoning, when the army and horses were strong, they broke through the western Liaoning Mountains and the Yanshan Pass.
Defeat the Liao Kingdom, and then march south along the vast Hebei Plain to drink from the Yellow River. Both of them can expose the center of gravity of the entire Northern Song Dynasty to them, and they can take life and death, and they can overturn it with the turn of a hand.
In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu not only had his roots in the north, but also learned from the experience of the subjugation of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was afraid that after the rise of the Hu people in the north, they would break through the Yanshan line of defense and invade the Central Plains, so he established his capital in Shuntian.
To resist the alien tribes from the north.
As a result, in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, they first encountered natural disasters, and then internal strife, which caused the complete collapse of Yanshan's frontline defenses. The Jurchens broke through Shanhaiguan and entered the Central Plains, galloping across the flat Hebei plain. The Ming army was unable to resist the Jurchens' Eight Banners cavalry, and the entire heartland
It was captured in an instant, and the country's subjugation was irreversible.
Whoever occupied Liaodong during this period would naturally have a geographical advantage, because the core of the country in both the Northern Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty was at the north and south ends of the Hebei Plain. As long as the aliens broke through the Yanshan Mountains, the Shanhaiguan defense line would be lifted.
A turtle with a hard shell can only be eaten by fish.
However, the Tang Dynasty was different.
Even though the land of Hebei is becoming more and more prosperous now, the core of the Tang Dynasty lies in Guanzhong. Even if the whole of Hebei is captured by foreigners, there is no risk of national subjugation.
With the Yellow River natural moat and the Tongguan natural moat, it is really difficult to enter the pass.
But the Western Region is different. Once the Western Region is lost, the enemy can follow the Silk Road and march eastward to Dunhuang and Yumen. If they can break through this barrier again, the entire Guanzhong will face the enemy's front, and the country will be destroyed in an instant.
between.
Historically, the reason why Tubo was able to invade Chang'an was because of the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, which caused the Tang Dynasty to lose control of the entire Western Region, allowing Tubo to come and go as they pleased...
…
However, Fang Jun also understood that just looking at His Majesty Li Er's current state, there was no way he could be persuaded by just his words.
After thinking for a while, Fang Jun said: "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, this matter is of great importance. We should summon all the military and aircraft ministers from the Military Aircraft Department to brainstorm and discuss together before making a final decision."
Now that the Military Aircraft Department has been established, it cannot always be used as a decoration. Otherwise, if His Majesty Li Er cannot handle military aircraft matters in a timely and appropriate manner after the Eastern Expedition due to lack of coordination, the original intention of establishing this organization will be lost.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty Li Er glanced at Fang Jun and said calmly: "Because this matter is so big, how can it be decided by just a few military and aircraft ministers? Tomorrow morning, this matter will be submitted to the Political Affairs Hall for all the ministers and ministers to
Let’s discuss and decide together.”
Fang Jun had no choice but to respond: "I obey the order."
There is no way, every emperor is naturally very protective of his own power, and he is not willing to hand it over to others easily, even to the military department, which he himself agrees with.
*****
The next morning, Zhengshitang.
A hot pot of earth was burning in the lobby. The prime ministers and ministers who were qualified to participate in Henan's political affairs were sitting in the hall, gathering in twos and threes, chatting in low voices over a pot of tea, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
A few days ago, the urgent government affairs had been dealt with, and they were sent one by one to each yamen in the three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples for specific implementation. The tasks from the previous year were basically cleared, and they were waiting to seal the yamen in a few days and go back to each other.
The family is preparing for the New Year.
At the beginning of the hour, His Majesty Li Er, accompanied by his chamberlain, came to the political hall to discuss the civil strife in Dashi reported by Fang Jun yesterday.
After everyone sat down, His Majesty Li Er glanced at Fang Jun and said, "Duke Yue, please tell me about the situation to all your dear friends."
"Here."
Fang Jun received the order and immediately explained the assassination of the Caliph of the Great Shi Country, the change of political power, the growth of civil strife, etc.
Changsun Wuji's eyelids jumped when he heard this, and he thought to himself: I just sent my son to Damascus, and civil strife broke out there. Doesn't it mean that I am trying to draw water from a bamboo basket but in vain?
After Fang Jun finished introducing the situation in the Dashi Kingdom, His Majesty Li Er looked around at everyone and said solemnly: "The Duke of Yue suggested that more troops should be added to the Western Regions and security should be strengthened to prevent Muawiyah who is entrenched in Damascus from coming back and attacking.
On the border of the Western Region, what do you all think of this?"
Changsun Wuji glanced at Fang Jun, his face was calm, but his heart was a little anxious.
This kid is simply his nemesis. He has just sent his son to Damascus, and he immediately proposed to send more troops to the Western Regions.
Although the ultimate goal of his plan is to increase troops to the Western Region, the significance of the advance increase and the emergency increase are completely different...
However, he had been in court for many years and had gone through numerous political struggles. Naturally, he could keep his composure. He sat there stroking his beard without saying a word, observing the situation first before making a decision.
Liu Jie had never led an army, but he knew a little about military affairs. He frowned and said: "The words of the Duke of Yue are certainly reasonable. The importance of the Western Regions needs no elaboration. Once threatened, we must increase our troops and strengthen our defense. But now that there are elite soldiers and strong generals everywhere in the world,
If they are all transferred to Liaodong, where will there be sufficient troops to send more troops to the Western Regions? If we continue to transfer troops from Guanzhong, it is very likely that the troops in Guanzhong will be insufficient. If there is a slight mistake, the country will be shaken, which is absolutely impossible."
Xiao Yu also agreed: "Liu Shizhong's words are reasonable. After His Majesty's personal expedition, there will only be left and right Xiao guards and left and right garrison guards in Guanzhong. Such forces are already stretched to maintain the stability of Guanzhong. If more troops are deployed to reinforce the Western Regions, once Guanzhong is
If something happens, it can easily lead to catastrophe."
Although these two people and Fang Jun currently belong to the prince lineage, they will never blindly follow Fang Jun's proposal because of this. They have their own judgment on major matters such as increasing troops in the Western Regions.
His Majesty Li Er nodded slightly. Looking at Li Ji who said nothing, he suddenly felt heartbroken. This leader of the Prime Minister was really wise in protecting himself and could hold his breath...
Concealing his displeasure, he asked: "What do you think the British Lord has to say?"
Li Ji failed to "pretend to be dead" and had to say: "Your Majesty clearly knows that the survival of the Western Regions is related to the safety of the capital. The two are closely interdependent and share weal and woe. The words of the Duke of Yue should indeed be taken seriously. Sending more troops to the Western Regions is the key to stabilizing the situation and avoiding
The best way to prevent the Silk Road from being eroded by cannibalism. However, the Eastern Expedition is already on the string and is ready to go. There must be no mistakes. After all, the lessons of the Sui Dynasty are not far away. We must mobilize the power of the whole country to defeat it in one fell swoop.
There is a little bit of luck, so I think that although the Western Region is important, it can be put aside and slowed down appropriately. It is not too late until His Majesty personally conquers Goguryeo with a thunderous force, and then goes back to calmly reinforce the Western Region.
."
Obviously, the opinions of several prime ministers are almost unanimous, and they all believe that although the threat of cannibals to the Western Regions exists, it is not a top priority.