Chapter 1954 Blossoms on all sides, breakthrough in the middle
The carriage was rickety. Although there was a spacious straight road from the bank of Luoshui, where spring plowing was done, to the city, the rammed earth road could never compare to the asphalt roads of later generations, even if the carriage had been equipped with perfect dampers.
Shaking equipment is inevitable.
Li Xingchen didn't mind.
Having been in this era for so long, riding a carriage is already a very comfortable thing.
Instead of studying how to make a carriage more comfortable to sit in, Li Xingchen hopes that the Ministry of Industry can focus on how to reduce costs so that every household can have a carriage.
The carriages became comfortable and served only a few people after all. But with carriages in every household, ordinary people could truly feel that their lives were indeed changing. The source of all these changes naturally came from Li Xinchen.
Zhang Xutuo was sketching the map, but he was very nervous compared to Li Xingchen who was turning over the memorials comfortably.
It is reasonable for His Majesty to ask about strategic arrangements, but it is unexpected for His Majesty to ask him to directly tell the specific arrangements of each branch.
Therefore, Zhang Xutuo could only draw a map for His Majesty on the spot.
Li Xingchen did not simply want to make things difficult for Zhang Xutuo, but wanted to test this young man's ability to adapt to changes in circumstances. Strategies are not written on paper, but should be imprinted in the mind, so that there will be no sudden changes.
We can react to and adjust to any situation as soon as possible.
Compared with Yang Su, Zhang Xutuo, who still needed to draw a map at this time, was obviously a little behind.
However, Zhang Xutuo had little experience, so it would be good if he could remember it clearly, and Li Xingchen couldn't ask too much.
When Yang Su is away, well, I miss him.
"Your Majesty?" Zhang Xutuo's voice suddenly pulled Li Xingchen back.
Judging from his confused look, it was obvious that this was not the first time he had called.
"Your Majesty, are you tired and want to take a rest?" Zhang Xutuo asked with concern.
You old man can't do anything good. The plowing just now was a real physical work.
Li Xingchen coughed slightly: "I was thinking about a problem just now, please tell me."
I can't say that I was thinking about Yang Su just now, right?
If you say it, it will hurt your self-confidence. Secondly, if you distract me, Yang Su and I will become a pair of cut-off sleeves.
Fortunately, Zhang Xutuo had no intention of continuing to ask, or rather he did not dare to ask.
Unfolding the map in front of him, Zhang Xutuo stretched out his hand and pointed at the middle position: "This is Yecheng, and the Han army has already deployed in Qingzhou, Chenliu, Mengjin, Hedong and Pingcheng, and the navy fleet has assembled in Qingzhou.
, we can attack Youzhou across the sea at any time."
Li Xingchen looked at the map, and the red arrows symbolizing the Han army surrounded it from all angles. It had indeed achieved "flowering on all sides" as Zhang Xutuo said.
"What about the breakthrough in the middle?" Li Xingchen asked directly. He knew without thinking that the key point was the breakthrough in the middle.
Zhang Xutuo said with a smile: "Look, Your Majesty, our troops are coming from all directions. Although they are huge, they don't have much money and food now, and the weapons and equipment cannot guarantee that all the troops and horses are complete, so the actual situation is still the same.
The main purpose is to feign attacks, and the target is the nearby state capital, and try to oppress the Zhou people's land as much as possible."
Li Xingchen nodded. The Han Dynasty was not rich now. Of course, it was impossible to support a full-scale war. The Han army had already consumed a lot when attacking Hedong. Now, although a new round of food from the south has been gradually transported northward, minus the consumption on the road.
, not many can reach the front line, at least it is impossible to meet the needs of launching a comprehensive attack from four directions.
"In fact, all the soldiers and horses have their own difficulties," Zhang Xutuo said, "If you go south from Pingcheng, you need to knock on the Yanmen Pass to enter. Yanmen is the most powerful pass in the world, so naturally it is not that easy to break. From the east of the river to the east,
Then we need to break through Jingxing or other Taihang fortresses. So the rest is to forcefully cross the river from Luoyang and Chenliu directions, rush into Hanoi, and then join forces to attack Yecheng!"
Li Xingchen kept an eye on the map and directly crossed the river to attack Yecheng. Judging from the laws of history, it was naturally not feasible. The Northern Zhou Dynasty tried several times to attack Yecheng directly from the Central Plains, but was repelled by the Northern Qi Dynasty. However, Li Xingchen
We also know that later Yuchi Jiong rebelled and occupied Yecheng, and Wei Xiaokuan, who suppressed the rebellion, crossed the river directly from Luoyang and entered Yecheng.
Although the current Northern Zhou Dynasty is much stronger than the Yuchi who rebelled in history, and even compared to the Northern Qi Dynasty, it is not a big deal, so breaking through in the middle and heading straight to Yecheng is not necessarily a good decision. Once the two sides form a stalemate along the river, this
This war will last for a long time, and it will naturally be a huge burden for the Han Dynasty.
For a long time, there has been controversy within the Han Dynasty about whether to directly cross the river to attack Yecheng. It is precisely because they have been undecided that the Han Dynasty's goals will gradually shift to the peripheral fronts, including Pingcheng, Hedong and other places. In fact, all
It is a "trophy" that the imperial court can only obtain by cleaning up the outer battlefields first.
But now that we plan to completely pacify the north, we naturally can't delay it like this.
A decision must be made as soon as possible.
"Hanoi and Yecheng are the places where the Zhou people garrisoned heavy troops. If they advance forward, the enemy will stop them with all their strength." Li Xingchen frowned and said, "A battle between the two sides is inevitable."
Zhang Xutuo looked at Li Xingchen: "The Taiwei Mansion believes that if the world can be decided in one battle, then I, a great man, should not hesitate to fight."
"What if one battle cannot determine the world?" Li Xingchen asked.
As an emperor, Li Xingchen must consider this issue. Does the current Han Dynasty have enough capital to support more than one war?
It's not that the money and food of the Han Dynasty have reached the point of being stretched. If that is the case, there is no need for Li Xingchen to rush to start a war at this time, but Li Xingchen must consider the problems after this war.
Not to mention whether there will be another war after one war, how much food will be consumed in this war, how many state capitals will be destroyed after the war, how many people will be displaced, these reconstructions and the people's
Li Xinchen must consider how much housing and comfort will cost.
In the past, as a general, he only had to think about how to break the formation and kill the enemy. But now he has to face the fact that if he wants to dominate the country, just being able to kill the enemy and be invincible is not enough.
What can truly stabilize a country, in addition to a strong army, is also indispensable for people to live and work in peace and contentment.
What Li Xingchen wanted to defeat was not only the army of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, but also the image and status of the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the hearts of the people as the orthodox people in the north. Only by replacing them would the people willingly submit to the Han Dynasty.
This is why since the Northern Expedition last year, Li Xingchen has been trying to avoid a war as much as possible. A war would affect too wide a range, not to mention whether the court could afford the risk of defeat, and the post-war pensions and peace of the people would be huge.