"The topic you are debating is nothing more than the question of whether we should continue to go south after this battle, but that is not what I am thinking about. This time we challenge the Han army. Since we are following the imperial decree, we should fulfill our duties. My duty is to share His Majesty's worries and think about the Tang Dynasty, so even though I am suspected of violating the taboo, I have to think about it." Li Yuan said slowly.
"You are all the leading generals under my command. I would like to know your attitude towards this expedition against the Han army. To put it bluntly, why do you think we are fighting this war?" Li Yuan glanced around the crowd. Will asked.
Most of the generals were silent. Lin Sichang frowned and thought for a while and said: "Grand Governor, aren't we just trying to drive the Han army out of the Chu territory? If we can regain Guiguan, all the Chu territory will belong to me, the Tang Dynasty." .....”
Li Yuan shook his head and said: "Sichang's words are wrong! I have clearly told you that it is imperative to recover Guangxi Guan, but it is not the case! Do you remember that when we were in Xizhou, we received your Majesty's order. In the order, His Majesty But he said it clearly, "Since you are the leader and the general, you should correct the shortcomings of your predecessors and eliminate the barbarian enemies in Lingnan to comfort my heart."
Since His Majesty wants us to eliminate the barbarian enemies in Lingnan and completely eliminate the threat of Han to Chu, what is the use of simply recovering the territory governed by Gui? Fan Renyu was right. The land governed by Gui was related to the destiny of the Han Dynasty. Its leader Liu Cheng would not give up easily and would continue to add troops to Chu sooner or later. Even if Gui Guan takes it back for a while, I'm afraid he will have to give it back soon..."
Lin Sichang took a deep breath: "Is this what the Governor meant?"
"Destroy the country."
The words were shocking, and all the generals looked at each other, but Li Yuandan nodded firmly and said with a smile: "If you want to completely eliminate the threat of Han to our Chu territory once and for all, you must destroy its country! I said it bluntly, let's take the lead next The goal of the troops going south is not only to take back Guiguan, but also to break through the capital of Han Dynasty, Prince Xing's Mansion..."
Fan Renyu hurriedly held up his hands and said: "But Grand Governor, we don't have enough money -"
"It's only 30,000 to 40,000 troops, right?" Li Yuan interrupted directly: "You must be doubtful now, and you may even think that the governor is talking nonsense. But do you remember what the governor said to the Han army general Xie Gui a few days ago? , the victory or defeat of a war must not only be determined by the number of people, especially the tactics aimed at destroying the country. The key lies in the deployment of troops and the strategy of dispatching troops.
Just like the expedition that has been going on for more than a month, the way our Wuping Army fights on two fronts and advances layer by layer is actually a helpless move. But if the goal is to destroy the country next, then such a method of sending troops must not be used. In the battle to destroy the country, all forces must be gathered, rush in from one direction, and directly smash the capital, seeking a quick victory, rather than spreading everywhere. "
"This... I still think it's too risky..."
"Grand Governor, think twice!" Many generals frowned.
Li Yuan smiled and said: "Of course, if you really want to destroy the country, in addition to the strategy of gathering troops in one direction and marching straight in, our 30,000 to 40,000 troops are indeed insufficient. We should at least have twice as many troops. Completely sure.”
Fan Renyu held up his chin and said in a deep voice: "The Governor is currently ordered to control the military affairs of Wu'an and Guiguan. Doesn't Wu'an and Li Jie still have 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers and horses available? From this point of view, there is an extra chance of winning."
Zhu Kuangcong also said coldly: "Speaking of this, I can't help but think of the 20,000 to 30,000 Heiyundu who died in Guiguan earlier. If those two losers Bian Hao and Zhang Luan don't give random orders, what will we have in our hands?" Are you worried that there are no soldiers and horses to use? Those are really elite soldiers, oh, what a pity!"
Li Yuan chuckled and said: "Bian Zhang and his two men were completely wiped out. It seems that the two commanders underestimated the enemy and rushed in. But in my opinion, it was His Majesty's fault. As we all know, Zhang Luan and Bian Hao were defeated repeatedly. , even though they lost all the territory under Gui Guan, His Majesty did not punish them severely, but allowed them to continue to lead the army until they were completely defeated... Knowing people poorly is the root of failure."
The generals looked at Li Yuan in surprise. No one dared to speak. It was okay to complain to the court, but the Governor dared to accuse His Majesty in public. This was indeed beyond their expectations.
Seeing that the generals looked worried, Li Yuandan laughed and said, "Don't panic. The governor has ordered the army to join the army and written these words in a memorial to His Majesty. Not long after, Jinling will read these words in person." That’s right, it’s the governor who said this, and it has nothing to do with you.”
"This... Grand Governor, what are you doing? You can't act recklessly. If the court blames you..." Several generals hurriedly advised.
Luo Erhu had a fearless look on his face, and he puffed up his chest and said loudly: "The Grand Governor is our Grand Governor. If the court dares to punish the crime, then we have to ask whether we agree!"
"That's right!" Zhu Kuangcong also responded loudly.
Li Yuan waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter. If His Majesty really punishes me for these unfavorable words of advice, then the Governor will just write another memorial. This memorial is not written specifically to accuse Your Majesty, but for another important matter... ....Of course, I have written down the upcoming war clearly, and am preparing to report it to His Majesty along with the successful report. After all, the war to destroy the country is not a trivial matter.
The governor just now made it clear that if he wanted to resolve the Guiguan issue once and for all, there was no other way but to destroy the Han state. Hasn’t His Majesty always had the ambition to dominate the world? I'm sure I won't refuse the governor's proposal, so we can take advantage of this opportunity to gain some practical benefits. The war to destroy the country is no small matter. We must increase the number of troops. It does not matter how much food we need, as long as we can expand the army in an open and honest manner. "
Having long recognized the imperial court's psychology and Emperor Li Jing's great success, Li Yuan talked eloquently and told all his thoughts. The goal this time is also very clear. Fighting and expanding the army. In the final analysis, everything is to strengthen his own strength. But on the surface, Li Yuan still needs to maintain a solid vassal relationship with the court and Li Jing. After all, it is far from breaking up. At the last moment, I didn’t even have the confidence.
The generals nodded slightly, seeming to agree with Li Yuan's views, and then began to discuss among themselves. Li Yuan watched calmly for a moment, waved his hand to summon the soldier who had repeatedly offered suggestions in recent days, whispered to himself, then stood up slowly, signaled the generals to continue the discussion, and led his guards to quickly leave the commander's tent. .
Not long after, Li Yuan arrived at a large tent where the luggage was stored in the back camp. Inside, a tall, familiar figure stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Li Yuan took the lead and said loudly: "Mr. Peng Du has been waiting for a long time!"
"Grand Governor!" The person waiting was none other than Li Yuan's former boss and the "Second Master" of Xizhou, Peng Shigao. He showed a wry smile and hurriedly stepped forward to return the greeting: "I've been waiting for you for three days, why not wait a little longer? ! Grand Governor, are you really not worried at all about what I have said? The imperial court is afraid that there will be big moves in the near future..."
Li Yuan's eyes flickered and he said with a sly smile: "Before today, I was indeed a little worried, but after today, there will definitely be someone who is more worried than me..."
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