royal palace.
In the Qianqing Palace.
Wu Nian was sitting in the main seat wearing a dragon robe, watching the monks and Taoists below preaching the scriptures, picking up the tea cup from time to time and taking a sip of tea.
Religion can be controlled, not eliminated.
After the large-scale attack on monks and Taoists, those who remained were either those who kept their peace, or those who were truly eminent monks and Taoists.
Also present was the new abbot of Xiangguo Temple, the purple-robed master Yuankong Monk.
A monk who can't find fault.
There is also the abbot of Hongfa Temple, the largest temple in Liaodong.
With the Taoist priest of Huilongguan in Liaodong.
Hongfa Temple and Huilong Temple were already domesticated by him when they were in Liaodong. He planned to move two temples and temples into Hebei to develop believers and divide the influence of Xiangguo Temple.
To put it simply, it is Machiavellian.
Wu Nian was not interested in monks or Taoists. He did not interrupt a word and only listened to what they said. At this moment, a eunuch walked in from outside the door and bowed to Wu Nian.
Wu Nian nodded, said something to the monks and Taoists, stood up, left the throne, and sat down in the room next to him.
The second assistant, Zhang Haiping, bowed to Wu Nian, raised the fold above his head, and said, "Your Majesty, this is the apology fold from Cao Ping, the general of the Inland River Navy."
Wu Nian's face became solemn, and the eunuch beside him immediately walked down, took the folder, and handed it to Wu Nian.
Wu Nian opened the booklet and read it, frowning.
Wang Baxian, the general of the Chu State, led a small number of soldiers across the river and captured Pingling County. The county magistrate Lu Tianyun died for his country.
Currently, Cao Ping is leading his troops to hunt down Wang Baxian.
After a moment, Wu Nian's brows widened. This Wang Baxian was quite kind. Although he killed the county magistrate Lu Tianyun, he did not do any harm to the common people.
"At this time, he dared to lead a small number of soldiers to cross the Yellow River and enter Hebei. Wang Baxian's courage is extraordinary."
Wu Nian closed the folder and showed appreciation. Said: "I probably won't be able to catch up. But let's give it a try. Let the Ministry of War issue an official document and order the nearby generals to mobilize troops to help hunt."
"In addition, Lu Tianyun will be given a loving burial and his family will be subsidized."
"yes."
Zhang Haiping bowed and saluted.
"Wang Ba's courage is commendable. Fighting across the river alone can boost the morale of the Chu army. But with his ability, can he make a difference?"
"He reminded everyone that now that the Han army has strong soldiers and horses, it is time to invade like fire."
Wu Nian sneered, stood up and said, "Instruct the civil and military ministers of the third rank and above in the capital, as well as the prince and the king of Qi, to go to the Yangxin Hall to meet him."
"Discuss the attack on Chu."
"yes."
Zhang Haiping perked up, rolled up his sleeves and saluted, turned around and strode off. Wu Nian went back to the palace first, changed his outfit, and then went to the Yangxin Hall surrounded by eunuchs, maids, imperial guards, and entourage.
Not long after Wu Nian sat down, an imperial guard came in carrying a sand tray.
The mountains and terrain are clearly visible.
Wu Nian sat on the throne and looked down at the terrain in the sand table, lost in thought.
Strategically, we despise the enemy, but tactically we value the enemy.
After Emperor Zhang Wu and Xiong Wuwo's rectification, Chu State exuded vitality. The Yellow River defense line and the coastal defense line are very strong.
In fact, it is not easy to attack.
The Yellow River.
The eunuch bent down and whispered to Wu Nian. Wu Nian woke up with a start, nodded and said, "Xuan."
Amidst the sharp voices of the eunuchs, Liu Zhixing, the chief minister of the cabinet, commanded all the civil and military ministers and entered the Hall of Cultivation of Heart.
The prince and the king of Qi were also among them.
"All of them are exempt from the courtesy." Wu Nian did not wait for them to salute, so he asked them to exempt themselves from the ceremony, and then asked the prince to stand beside him and told everyone what happened.
"Father, the Chu State dares to sneak across the Yellow River and kill my county magistrate. My son, please lead the troops to cross the Yellow River and attack the Chu State."
King Wu Min of Qi stood up immediately, with an angry look on his face, a sonorous and powerful voice, and he bent down and saluted.
"Very good, energetic. Give King Qi a royal horse and a sword." Wu Nian smiled and rewarded his son, but did not respond to his son's request.
Wu Min was a little disappointed, but he also knew what his father meant and returned to the queue.
The son is a good son.
Being brave and good at fighting is also brave and good at fighting.
But the matter of war needs to be considered holistically.
Wu Nian pointed to the sand table in front and said: "Chu has two lines of defense, but for me, there is only one choice."
"Attack the Yellow River frontally, and use the navy's partial division to attack the coast."
"It is impossible for hundreds of thousands of troops to easily enter coastal areas in warships. The Chu State now is no longer the Chu State it was before."
"In that case. Then where should we start the four Chu armies in front of the Yellow River: Chang'an Army, Luoyang Army, Bianliang Army, and Jinan Army?"
"Everyone can speak freely without any scruples."
The Yellow River is too long, so the Chu army deployed defenses along the river. It is equivalent to a long snake formation.
For Chu State, this was impossible.
But it was impossible for the Han army to attack in a long snake formation. It's time to break through the surface, concentrate your strength, cross the Yellow River first, and then sweep the world.
Although Chu State has four towns and troops, it actually defends three areas.
From west to east.
They are Guanzhong Plain, Luoyang Plain and Central Plains.
Among them, there is Tongguan between Guanzhong Plain and Luoyang Plain.
There are also many passes between Luoyang Plain and the Central Plains.
The Central Plains is too big, so two towns of soldiers and horses are needed. One town defended Bianliang, and the other defended Jinan.
It's clear at a glance.
It is to attack the Guanzhong Plain to the west. Or attack the Luoyang Plain in the center, or attack the Central Plains in the east?
Establish the general direction first, then formulate tactics
The last step is to organize soldiers, horses, food and fodder and launch an attack.
"Father, my son and I think we should attack the Guanzhong Plain first and occupy Tongguan. Then we can encroach on Chu State step by step." Wu Yu turned sideways and bowed to Wu Nian, and was the first to speak.
There was a look of surprise on Wu Nian's face, and the civil and military ministers were also surprised.
This prince rarely takes the initiative to speak.
Wu Nian was very happy and then asked: "Why?"
"If we attack from the direction of the Central Plains, we will take Bianliang first. With Bianliang as our foundation, we can gallop across the Central Plains. Our horse and infantry troops will soon be able to reach Nanjing City. If we are lucky, we can defeat Chu in one battle."
Wu Yu was very calm. He raised his hands and said: "My father is brave and good at fighting and is invincible in the world. But Emperor Zhang Wu is also a wise king, and Xiong Wuwo is a rare talent. Wang Baxian, Chen Mingzhi and others are all general talents."
"With my father's bravery, I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat the Chu State in one fell swoop."
"Besides. If my father sends troops to Bianliang, the troops from Jinan and Luoyang will reinforce Bianliang."
"If my father sends troops to Guanzhong, only the soldiers and horses from Luoyang can quickly rescue Guanzhong. Even if the soldiers and horses from Bianliang and Jinan want to rescue, they will be beyond their reach."
"The military book says: If the enemy is strong, divide it. Attacking the Guanzhong Plain is tactically advantageous."
"After capturing the Guanzhong Plain, my father would either attack Luoyang or go south to attack Bashu. He would encroach on Chu State step by step."
"It must be perfect."
Wu Nian showed a look of satisfaction, then raised his head, showed a proud look to the civil and military officials, and said, "I have a prince."
"Why worry that the Han Dynasty will not prosper?"
