In December of the ninth year of Jianxing of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu Chan announced in Chengdu that the capital would be officially moved to Chang'an on Zhengdian Day next year and the Yuan Dynasty would be changed to Yanxi.
In February of the first year of Yanxi, Liu Chan set out from Chengdu. Under the protection of the Han Dynasty's southern army, he led thousands of civil and military officials and their families all the way north. It took one and a half months to arrive in Chang'an safely.
In late March of the first year of Yanxi, Liu Chan offered sacrifices to Taizu Emperor Gao in Changling and officially moved the capital to Chang'an.
In May of the first year of Yanxi, Zhang Xi, who was in Jingzhou, received a letter from Zhuge Liang and went to Chang'an to discuss matters.
This time, the next discussion was about the strategic policy of the Han Dynasty.
In fact, starting from the second half of the ninth year of Jianxing, Zhang Xi, Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and others communicated with each other and discussed this matter together in their respective territories.
Led by Zhang Xi and Pang Tong, they hoped to raise troops to fight south, first recover the four counties in Jingnan, and then send their troops eastward to attack Soochow.
Led by Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu, they hope to concentrate their forces to recover Yingchuan County first, and then divide their troops into two groups, one to approach Hulao Pass, and the other to send troops from Yingchuan County to attack Chenliu County, and then to Yanzhou to seize the Central Plains. .
This discussion is actually to decide whether the Han Dynasty will attack eastward or southward in the future.
In fact, both sides have their own reasons.
"Today the emperor has moved the capital to Chang'an, and is surrounded by people from all directions. The Wei thieves are frightened. They should take advantage of this moment to seize the Central Plains and rule the world."
This is the reason for the Eastern Movement.
The words are very simple, but actually they contain a lot of meaning.
The first is the political implications.
If Liu Chan and the Han Dynasty had stayed in Chengdu, for the people of the world, they would still have the concept of a peaceful regime and stay in Chengdu. How could they rule the world? !
But now, Liu Chan moved the capital to Chang'an, which was tantamount to declaring to the world his ambition to revitalize the Han Dynasty.
This political influence is huge.
Secondly, for the aristocratic families in the Heluo area and even the Central Plains, Ji Han moved the capital, making the administrative center of the Han Dynasty closer to the Central Plains region. Now that Luoyang is in the hands of the Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families will inevitably have to prepare for their future. Think carefully about your family's future.
Should he passively wait for the big man to attack before considering changing his family, or should he make political investment from now on and join the big man in advance? !
Just as Cao Rui worried, the hearts of the world began to turmoil, and once the hearts of the people dispersed, it would be difficult to gather them back together.
It is true that Cao Wei's policy towards aristocratic families was more favorable, but the Han Dynasty also had the prestige accumulated over four hundred years, and there were not a few aristocratic families who believed that the Han Dynasty could continue to revive.
If Cao Wei was destined to fail, then no matter how good the treatment Cao Wei gave him, it would not be able to attract aristocratic families to be buried with him.
Aristocratic families always put survival first, and the amount of benefits is actually not something that cannot be negotiated.
It is precisely for this reason that Zhuge Liang's infiltration work in Luoyang became increasingly easier as the Han Dynasty moved its capital to Chang'an.
Now not only Hanoi, but also Yingchuan, two counties that are relatively close together, as well as aristocratic families in Hedong County, there are also people who are keeping in touch with Luoyang in private, seeking to obtain greater benefits after the war.
The external conditions are simply unprecedentedly good.
Furthermore, the intelligence coming from Beidi showed that since Cao Rui introduced the "criminal money" system, in less than a year, Cao Wei's treasury has been greatly enriched, and Cao Rui has also More than 50,000 soldiers were recruited from the farmers and were training day and night in Yecheng.
We will not discuss the merits of the "criminal money" system for the time being, but it did allow Cao Wei to have a large amount of money and grain income in a short period of time, and he also had the confidence to recruit farmers as soldiers.
And when these field soldiers are trained and formed, if Cao Rui sends these people to Yanzhou, it will be much more difficult to attack Yanzhou.
Therefore, both Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu believed that it was imperative to send troops eastward at this time to capture Yanzhou, Cao Wei's last base in the Central Plains.
But Zhang Xi and Pang Tong didn't think so.
"The Northern Expedition can certainly control the world, but Dongwu is capricious and allied with Wei thieves. If it cannot be controlled, there will be endless troubles. Therefore, before the Northern Expedition, Dongwu should be conquered first to stabilize the rear."
It is true that Zhang Xi and Pang Tong also agreed that the Northern Expedition was the most important way to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty. But the problem is that Soochow in the east is really disgusting.
They have repeatedly sent troops to attack important points in the Han's offensive and defense. No matter how much the price is given to them, they will not be satisfied. Unless they beat them severely, they will not give up.
If the threat of Soochow cannot be resolved before the Northern Expedition, then even if Zhuge Liang attacks the Central Plains this time, Soochow will still cause chaos to the Han.
Either to help Cao Wei in the Huainan area to defend Yingchuan County and prevent the Han from marching to Yanzhou from Yingchuan County, or to repeat the same tactics and continue to attack Jiangling.
The latter is more likely.
Although Zhou Yu unfortunately died, Soochow still maintains a standing force of 40,000 troops in Jingnan. In addition to the 30,000 troops in Jiangxia, the total strength of Zhu Ran's navy who moved to Baqiu and Zhang Chengshui's army stationed in Xiakou exceeds 10. Thousands of people.
If you don't know how to defeat these forces, would you, Zhuge Liang, dare to march eastward and attack Yanzhou with peace of mind? !
This is the point of disagreement between the two sides. It can be said that each has its own reasons. However, with the current economic and military strength of the Han Dynasty, if the two-front battle is a defensive war, there is still a chance of winning, but if it is to fight an offensive war, the confidence is still insufficient.
Therefore, it is either an all-out march eastward or an all-out southward expedition. There is only one choice.
What's even more terrible is that this time the four great advisers of the Han Dynasty each have their own reasons, and no one can convince the other.
It was really a bit of a stalemate for a while.
Zhuge Liang believes that Soochow is currently busy sorting out its internal affairs. Although they have stationed troops outside, they should not take the initiative to attack Jiangling. Even if they want to attack Jiangling, now that Zhou Yu is dead and Lu Xun wants to take charge of Huainan, Zhu Ran's ability will not be enough to cause any harm to Jiangling. substantial threat.
Furthermore, if we want to attack Jingnan, the navy is a very important part. With the current capabilities of the Jiangling navy, it is still very difficult to seize control of the Yangtze River.
It is better to adopt an active defense strategy and leave Wang Ji, 30,000 infantry and 20,000 naval troops to defend Jiangling, and all the remaining soldiers will be transferred northward, led by Zhang Xi, to attack Yingchuan County.
Finally, and the most important point - Zhuge Liang repeatedly emphasized that the traitor to the Han Dynasty was Cao Wei after all. It usurped the Han's self-established political power, and attacking Cao Wei had legal factors.
Although Soochow is now considered an enemy country, and the behavior of Soochow monarchs and ministers is indeed very disgusting, there is not much hatred between the two countries. Attacking Soochow will not add much in terms of public opinion and legal stance. become.
Now that the Han Dynasty is about to be reborn, many matters must be paid attention to. You can't just make up an excuse and get over it. You must act in a king's way.
Of course, Zhang Xi cannot explain so many great principles, but Zhang Xi believes that the time for the Han Dynasty to move the capital was too short. Even if there are political factors, it is not yet known how big the effect will be.
Qin Lang stationed troops in Hedong County, and Sima Division stationed troops in Hanoi County. These are real military forces. Once Zhuge Liang chooses to march eastward to Yanzhou, these people will definitely not sit idly by and will definitely cross the river to threaten Luoyang.
And Yingchuan County is not easy to fight.
Although Chen Tai is nothing to worry about, Guo Huai is a famous general in the world. Although he is in decline now, it does not mean that he is incapable of defending Yingchuan.
Therefore, Zhang Xi believed that it was not a suitable time to attack Yanzhou before the threats from Hedong and Hanoi County were completely eliminated and he was confident enough to capture Yingchuan County.
Another thing, don't look at Cao Wei's recruitment of troops and horses, which is making a lot of noise. It is just a temporary effect supported by "criminal money", and it does not really pass any reforms to enhance the national strength.
Moreover, you, Zhuge Liang, are not ignorant of the pros and cons of this "money for discussing crimes". You wrote to me complaining about this matter at the beginning, saying that Cao Wei did not even want long-term officialdom for temporary gain, so why don't you let it go for a long time? How about sitting back and watching Cao Wei's complete degeneration step by step? !
On the contrary, Soochow, at least for now, their development momentum is very stable. After acquiring the four counties of Jingnan, they can be regarded as controlling half of the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, and their power has become more stable.
Sun Quan is currently busy stabilizing internal rule and attacking the Huaisi Group and Jiangdong Family. Once he is allowed to completely consolidate the country, it will be much more difficult to deal with it.
Yes, Sun Quan may not have great ambitions and just want to stay on one side, but we big men are determined to sweep the world, and the two sides will still have to fight sooner or later.
Therefore, it would be better for Chang'an to defend temporarily and raise troops to march south.
(End of chapter)
