Matters involving life and death and the future were not something that Liu Chengyou could easily deceive. Of course, Liu Chengyou himself didn't think that Zhao Yanshou would make it clear as soon as he said it and agreed easily.
After regaining his composure, Liu Chengyou quietly looked at Zhao Yanshou, whose expression was uncertain. With a very graceful look, he sat for a while and said softly: "This matter is not urgent. King Yan can think about it carefully!"
After standing up and making a salute, Liu Chengyou greeted the guards, left Zhao Yanshou who was still deep in thought, and walked slowly away. Before going out, Liu Chengyou stopped and said, as if he had thought of it accidentally, "By the way, I forgot to tell King Yan. News came from the south that Zhao Kuangzan, the governor of the Ruzi River, had come to express his surrender to the emperor... ..”
Zhao Yanshou suddenly came back to his senses and his expression changed.
...
Dusk falls, and the Zhendingzhou Yamen on a summer night is dotted with not-so-bright lights, but the Yamen hall is brightly lit.
In the hall, several close generals gathered together to express their opinions on Liu Chengyou's proposal against Zhao Yanshou. However, Liu Chengyou has obviously made up his mind, there is not much room for change, and he has considered everything. It's not so much about listening to your subordinates' suggestions as it is about explaining your ideas to them.
Several generals looked solemn and silent for a moment, but Xiang Xun continued to reserve his opinion: "The general still thinks it's not worth it!"
"Zhao Yanshou cannot be trusted!" This was Ma Quanyi's opinion.
"The Khitan people's power in Youyan is still not weak. Even if, as His Highness said, the Khitan has internal strife to seize the throne, it will not be easy for Zhao Yanshou to occupy Youzhou alone!" Murong Yanzhao said.
"My purpose is not whether Zhao Yanshou can capture Youzhou, but how much trouble he can make in Youzhou and how much trouble he can cause to the Khitan people!" Liu Chengyou finally spoke.
"But, can the situation really develop as His Highness expected?" Xiang Xun shook his head and said, "Zhao Yanshou really dares to go against the Khitans? Even if he goes north, what if he joins the Hulu again?"
Liu Chengyou finally showed a hint of contemplation. As Xiang Xun said, it is not impossible. Although Zhao Yanshou seems to be incompatible with the Khitan now, if something changes, if he joins the party again and leads the party again, I am afraid there will not be much psychological pressure.
In the Central Plains, it is not uncommon for towns to surrender and then rebel again, and to rebel and surrender again.
Liu Chengyou only paused for a moment, looked around and said, "You must have heard some rumors during this period of time. In the battle of Luancheng, Gu and Zhao Yanshou cooperated with each other inside and outside, and the Yan soldiers were mobilized internally. , our army can only achieve this great victory by attacking outside!"
"Now, this news has begun to spread to the land of Youyan..."
Hearing Liu Chengyou's somewhat abrupt words, the generals were stunned. However, Guo Rong and Wei Renpu, who had been silent, quickly understood Liu Chengyou's plan.
Liu Chengyou did not deliberately show off, and said directly: "Even if Zhao Yanshou dares to seek refuge with the Khitans again, even if the Khitans are willing to accept him again, I will make Zhao Yanshou feel guilty!"
The generals were not very sensitive to this and were somewhat slow to react. However, there were always smart people who understood Liu Chengyou's thoughts, including Tao Gu who stayed silently aside.
At this time, seeing everyone's silence, he glanced twice, saluted Liu Chengyou, and said cautiously: "Your Highness, I heard about it when I was in Tokyo. Zhao Yanshou has the ambition to dominate the country, and Yelu De, the Lord of Liao, Guang also promised him to capture the Central Plains and make him emperor. It was only later that the Lord of Liao broke the promise, which made him resentful and at odds with the Hu people."
"It remains to be discussed whether His Highness allowed him to have Youyan's fiefdom."
Sure enough, literati always have different views on issues. Tao Gu bluntly reminded Liu Chengyou that Zhao Yanshou had a desire to dominate and should not let him go.
But Liu Chengyou's political sense didn't seem to be sharp, and he seemed not to understand Tao Gu's meaning. He waved his hand and said calmly: "For our dynasty, the land of Youyan is in the hands of the Khitans and it is not in the hands of Zhao Yanshou." In the hand, there’s not much difference.”
With a confident and calm look, he added: "Even if Zhao Yanshou has a disobedient heart, so what?"
"If Zhao Yanshou can really capture Youzhou, it will be a great move." At this time, Guo Rong finally spoke.
He didn't say much, and although his attitude was biased, it seemed as if he didn't finish half of his sentence. Obviously, even Guo Rong has some reservations about Liu Chengyou's decision.
However, again, the development of things may not go according to his ideas. It is too uncontrollable, and Liu Chengyou seems to take it for granted.
However, there are some things that you need to do even if you know the risks are high. According to Liu Chengyou's idea, the worst outcome is that Zhao Yanshou goes north, surrenders directly to the Khitan, and then once again becomes the vanguard of the Khitan's southern invasion.
However, it is not said how likely this is. Even so, after the heavy damage in the battle of Luancheng, how long will it take for the Khitan to regain its national strength and have enough energy to go south again? Moreover, they first have to resolve their internal conflicts.
After continuous in-depth analysis and understanding by Feng Dao, Wei Renpu and others, there is a high probability that there will be a fight between Yelu Ruan and the Empress Dowager Shu Luping of the Liao Kingdom.
If you can see the risks, you must also see the huge benefits behind the risks. If Zhao Yanshou can really capture Youzhou, it can become the northern barrier of the Liu family and relieve the defensive pressure in the north.
By then, it will be positioned as the "Northern Han Dynasty" and become a buffer zone between the two countries. Once the Central Plains is stabilized and its strength is restored, it will definitely be easier to recapture Youyan from the Zhao family than directly from the Khitans.
No matter what happens, if Zhao Yanshou fails, it will cause trouble for the Khitan people, weaken the stability of Youyan, destroy its development, and make it unable to continue to provide nutrients for the growth of the Khitan in a short period of time.
No matter how much he thought about it, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but lament in his heart that the current military strength was still insufficient, the national strength was not sustainable, and the situation was not conducive to foreign war. Otherwise, taking advantage of the impact of the Battle of Luancheng, this is the best time for the Central Plains to retake Youyan and rebuild the northern border defense, without Liu Chengyou having to work hard to do these things.
Everyone probably saw Liu Chengyou's determination, and no one continued to dissuade him, because as he said, no matter whether the matter was successful or not, it would not have a big impact on the new dynasty, and it was just a try.
However, Zhang Yanwei finally raised an objection: "It is okay for His Highness to allow Zhao Yanshou to go north, but why should he give Yan soldiers to him? The general cannot agree with this, for fear of raising a tiger to cause trouble!"
"How much trouble can Zhao Yanshou cause in Youzhou?" Liu Chengyou asked rhetorically.
Liu Chengyou had also considered the matter of Yan Bing. Again, this army is not easy to annex. They have already formed their own group, and most of their families are in Yan. If they are forced to remain in the country, unless they are completely dispersed, chaos will sooner or later occur.
Instead of doing this, Mo Ruo would let him go back to Youzhou and follow Zhao Yanshou to create a storm. These people are the main culprits of the Khitans' defeat, and their hands are basically stained with the blood of the Hu people. In the short term, we can still look forward to their development after returning to Youzhou.
He thought a lot, but in the end, the focus was still on Zhao Yanshou.
If Zhao Yanshou quits, Liu Chengyou will not be able to find a replacement for a while. By then, Liu Chengyou will have made too many expressions...
