The twelfth year of Tianfu is a leap year, a leap month.
Time always dilutes everything. As the second month of July passes, the situation in the Central Plains can finally be described as "calm", although it is a bit reluctant. Starving to death in Manzhou County, the situation of bandits gathering in the mountains and forests has not improved much. However, the local officials in various states have been waiting and watching. Seeing that the Liu family is staying in Tokyo, the situation will not be repeated in a short time, so "live" " came over and began to rule the people in the name of "big Han".
The mood of autumn is thick, and in the sparse world of the Central Plains, crops are already coming to maturity, bringing more hope. While the officials and the people were looking forward to hope, the Han Dynasty court, which had spent more than two months establishing a firm foothold in the Central Plains, finally had enough energy to focus its attention beyond the capital and all states in the world.
In the Chui Gong Hall, several important military and political ministers and Liu Chengyou were present, discussing politics with Liu Zhiyuan. There is only one topic for discussion: Fang Town.
As the reorganization of the forbidden troops comes to an end, the imperial court is obviously more confident and has enough energy to point out other states and towns. In other words, it was necessary to establish prestige, and the goal of establishing prestige was the fattest and loudest chicken, Du Chongwei. Basically, it was expected. Among the various festivals, only Du Chongwei was taking the lead.
"Your Majesty, according to reports from various states, those who were transferred to Jiedu in the previous transfers have basically gone to the state to take up their duties. Those who are far away, such as Qingzhou and Anzhou, are still on their way." Yang Bin began to report, and said a good news.
Last month, when the situation in Kaifeng eased slightly, Liu Zhiyuan issued an edict and carried out a large-scale relocation, replacement and exchange of governors in various states.
Song, Xu, Yan, Xu, Deng, Xiang, An, Yun, Wei, Qing, etc., the Jiedu of Central Plains and Hebei were basically replaced. This is actually a basic operation. Those Jiedu who were transferred were naturally not happy because they had been moved, but the Liu family was gaining momentum and they were given more favors and comforts. Even if you don't want to in your heart, pack more and hit the road.
But the progress is naturally fast and slow. For example, Yang Chengxin, who moved from Pinglu Jiedu to Anzhou Jiedu, traveled nearly 2,000 miles by land and water from Qingzhou to Anzhou. He might not be able to get there even if he was given three months to move, let alone one month. appoint.
"Yes." Liu Zhiyuan nodded, and directly asked the town he cared about most: "Where is Du Chongwei, there is no movement yet?"
Yang Bin's face became serious and said: "There is still no sign of departure. I am afraid that Du Chongwei has made up his mind to violate His Majesty's edict and confront the imperial court!"
Liu Zhiyuan only looked a little cold in response to this, but there was no more surprise or other expression. Originally, Liu Zhiyuan swapped Du Chongwei with Gao Xingzhou, the military governor of the Returned Army, and allowed him to bring his family, his followers, and his family's wealth. In order to reassure him, he also specially appointed his "brother" Li Shouzhen as the military governor of Hezhong. , already very sincere. As long as Du Zhongwei is willing to move town, everything will be fine.
But after the edict to move the town was issued, the other towns responded more or less, except Du Chongwei, who had no feedback at all and seemed to turn a deaf ear. Until Tokyo sent an envoy to inquire, the matter of moving to the town was complicated and it would take time. A reply was being prepared.
This dragged on for several days. The Han Dynasty court also showed great patience and planned to send someone to "assist" him to move to the town. Du Chongwei immediately refused. Now people from Yedu reported that he finally started to move away. Furniture loading. Du Chongwei's family background was still very rich, so he delayed for a few more days, and then there was no movement again.
Until the imperial court issued an edict to urge him for the second time, Du Chongwei simply complained that he was ill and that it was inconvenient to travel far. Later, he reported that bandits were on the rise in Weibo... In short, it was inconvenient to move to the town.
In response, the imperial court became more "reasonable" and sent envoys to inform them. Tokyo is a vast and livable place with complete medical care. Du Gong can go to Tokyo to recuperate first, and then go to Songzhou to live in the town after he recovers. As for Wei Bo's banditry, the imperial court sent its own soldiers and horses, and Gao Xingzhou, the newly appointed governor of Yedu, was responsible for exterminating it.
This has been going on and on until now. In fact, at this point, the two sides are basically settled.
"Your Majesty, according to the report from Chanzhou, Du Chongwei has locked up the city and sent troops to block the road between Yedu and Puyang. His disobedience is obvious. The court must be prepared and respond at any time." Guo Wei followed the report.
"How are the deployment of troops and horses, and how are the food, equipment and supplies prepared?" Liu Zhiyuan asked.
For Du Chongwei, the Han court had actually been making preparations for a long time. Upon hearing the inquiry, Shi Hongzhao immediately reported: "The Xingjie and Guangrui armies have been transferred northward and stationed at Baima and Puyang. The armies in Yunzhou, Yanzhou, and Mingzhou have been ordered to prepare for prevention and containment. The armies in Beijing have You can go north to fight at any time!"
Wang Zhang followed up and said: "During this period, I have been ordered to mobilize, food, equipment, chariots and horses, and boats and boats, and have prepared 50,000 horse infantry for half a year's campaign. However, if the court wants to carry out the expedition, it is best to wait until At the end of the autumn harvest, grain taxes are deposited into the treasury.”
Yang Bin, who was standing by, agreed: "Nowadays, in various places, there is a shortage of young people and a lack of people's power. I am afraid that they will not be able to meet the needs of the army. If the people are strong early, it will inevitably destroy production and cause turmoil in the people's hearts..."
"When the grain taxes are put into the warehouse, it will already be winter. How can we still fight then?" Shi Hongzhao immediately retorted after hearing the two men singing in harmony.
"As long as the war doesn't start, the longer the delay, the more fully prepared the court will be, the stronger the country will be, and the greater the chance of victory for the court." Yang Bin also counterattacked at a faster speed. Although there was a "tacit understanding" against Liu Chengyou, the conflict between Yang Bin and Shi Hongzhao had never weakened in military and political matters, and disagreements were common.
In terms of talking words and being reasonable, Shi Hongzhao was certainly no match for Yang Bin. His face jumped, and when he was about to make a strong statement, Su Fengji stood up. Glancing at Yang Bin, he said loudly: "What Mr. Yang said is wrong. Du Chongwei supported the troops to respect himself, violated His Majesty's will, and resisted the imperial edict. The traces of his rebellion have been exposed. In the opinion of the minister, these rebellious people should be punished." His officers and nobles should send out troops as soon as possible to destroy them and show the majesty of the imperial court."
"Otherwise, it will be up to the rest of the world to see how they view this matter. They have been watching the move before. If they follow this example, then the Han Dynasty may be in chaos again before it reaches peace. The Imperial Imperial Guard is strong and powerful. There are many people, but how can we take care of all four directions? Now that we can focus on one side, we can quickly eliminate the evil and stubbornness and eliminate greater disasters before they happen."
Su Fengji was a greedy, power-loving, and murderous person. Although his character was not good, he still had some insights and could always say something.
"This is a big fallacy! The country's worries should be prioritized. Nowadays, the Khitans are mobilizing troops in Youyan, and Xishu is watching in the right of Guan. In the south, Jingnan and Southern Tang are restless. At this time, stabilizing the country is the most important thing. Wei Bo has strong troops, and if the imperial court starts the war lightly, if we cannot win quickly, our great situation will be lost in one day!" Yang Bin also immediately responded.
He stared at Su Fengji coldly. In Yang Bin's opinion, this person was a villain who was accustomed to flattering people, who got in by flattery, who often made lies and brought trouble to the court.
Feeling Yang Bin's contempt, Su Fengji sneered: "Are you trying to indulge Du Chongwei and raise a tiger to cause trouble?"
"You are taking a quote out of context!" Yang Yan was slightly angry: "Du Chongwei must be subdued, and Wei Bo's problem must be solved, but it is not advisable to act too hastily!"
"They are so rampant. If they don't act decisively, where will the majesty of Your Majesty and the imperial court be compromised?" Su Fengji asked in return.
"That's enough!" Seeing the two people arguing again in the court, Liu Zhiyuan's eyes flashed with impatience and he spoke coldly.
Seeing this, the two of them stopped talking and quickly leaned over to apologize: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
With Liu Zhiyuan's "suppression", the smell of gunpowder between Yang and Su dissipated a lot, but the atmosphere became much more tense. Liu Zhiyuan glanced around, but Liu Chengxun was not there. Liu Chengyou stood there without commenting, his eyes wandering, the old man at ease.
"King Zhou, what do you think?" Liu Zhiyuan asked after a moment of silence.
His wandering eyes suddenly returned to clarity. Of course Liu Chengyou had something in mind. He thought about it for a while before he handed over his hands and said: "What the two prime ministers said are all planned for the country, and they all have a certain truth. Wei Bo's population, taxes , it occupies the most important place in the world, I don’t need to go into details. Such important places cannot be held in Du Chongwei’s hands for a long time.”
"Du Chongwei is now like a cancerous tumor on the body of a big man, which has reached the point where it has to be cut off. If it continues, the court may gather more powerful forces. However, if this cancerous tumor breaks out, erodes, and spreads, the impact will be It’s not just the town of Weibo. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, we must bite the bullet and get rid of it. We must bring Weibo under the rule as soon as possible, resume development, and rest with the people. The imperial court will have spare power to deal with foreign enemies."
"Otherwise, if it is delayed for too long, not only the domestic Fangzhen will be affected, but as Yang Xianggong said, Meng Shu, Jingnan, and Southern Tang will also take the opportunity to bite the big Han. If you can't suppress the internal troubles, how can you deal with the wolves at your doorstep? ?”
After Liu Chengyou finished speaking, Yang Bin's expression became condensed, while Su Fengji showed a smile on his lips. Liu Zhiyuan thought about Liu Chengyou's words and asked, "So, do you prefer the imperial court to use troops?"
"Judging from the current situation in Yedu, this war is probably unavoidable. Du Chongwei obviously will not surrender. The imperial court's arrangements around him are likely to put great pressure on Du Chongwei. Who is powerless on the other side? Countermeasures." Liu Chengyou said: "However, if you want to take into account other states and towns, the imperial court does not need to take the initiative to attack. It only needs to be prepared for war, and when they rebel, they will send troops to annihilate them!"
"Haha." Shi Hongzhao suddenly chuckled. The sound wasn't loud, but it was a bit harsh in this hall.
"Why are you laughing?" Shi Hongzhao's behavior was a bit rude, Liu Zhiyuan glanced at him and asked.
"I'm rude!" Shi Hongzhao actually knew that he was rude, but his unbearable expression was even more disgusting. He glanced at Liu Chengyou and said: "I just feel that, as His Highness King Zhou said, Ruoyedu is over there This situation has always been maintained, and Du Chongwei did not take action. Is it possible that the imperial court has so many soldiers and horses, money and food wasted? If it is delayed beyond this year, what is the difference from what Yang Xiang said? "
The eyes of everyone fell on Liu Chengyou. Liu Chengyou still looked indifferent and nodded: "What General Shi said is indeed reasonable."
Without even looking at Shi Hongzhao, Liu Chengyou turned to Guo Wei and said, "Privilege Guo, that report just now..."
The ministers' eyes turned to Guo Wei again, and they saw Guo Wei took out two documents from his sleeves and reported to Liu Zhiyuan: "Your Majesty, before the meeting, the Privy Council received a report from Mozhou Defense Envoy Murong Yanzhao. A suspicious person was intercepted in its territory, and a letter was found on his person. After interrogation, it was found that the man was Du Chongwei's messenger, and what was written in the letter was Du Chongwei's words of surrender to the Khitan, and After inviting the Lord Khitan to conquer Youzhou, he will go south to the Central Plains and join forces with him. The report and letter are here for your majesty to read."
The two documents were presented to Liu Zhiyuan, and he only browsed them briefly. Liu Zhiyuan slapped the imperial table heavily and said angrily: "What a good Du Chongwei. He is really a thief. I have tried my best to forgive him and comfort him." I still have unsatisfied desires, and with the heart of a snake, I try to connect with Beidi and harm our Han family! It is simply not a pity to die!"
"Gentlemen, what do you think?" Liu Zhiyuan looked around and asked again.
At this time, Yang Bin didn't dare to refute anything anymore. Su Fengji was beaming: "Your Majesty, Du Chongwei has shown his betrayal and is so rampant, we cannot tolerate him!"
"Du Chongwei doesn't care about the kindness of the court and wants to use his arms as a chariot to bring about his own destruction. I will help him!" Taking a deep breath, Liu Zhiyuan coldly ordered: "Send someone to send this letter to Yedu and tell the content Show it to the world!"
"yes!"
It is basically certain that when this letter is placed on the desk, Du Chongwei will definitely not be able to sit still and will rebel.
"Your Majesty, if this is the case, the imperial court must make thorough preparations for the conquest!" Seeing that the matter was a foregone conclusion, Yang Bin quickly changed his mind and actively advised.
Liu Zhiyuan nodded, pondered for a while, and said: "Arrange troops, horses, food and grass, speed up the process. Let's discuss the candidate for the commander-in-chief!"
After saying this, there was another silence in the hall, and everyone exchanged glances. Du Chongwei's side has nearly 50,000 troops. Even excluding the civilian strength, there are still more than 20,000 soldiers who can fight. If the imperial court wants to quell the situation, it will definitely use a lot of troops and troops. When it comes to something as sensitive as military power, it has to be cautious.
After only a moment of silence, Shi Hongzhao took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"
His eyes paused on Shi Hongzhao. Liu Zhiyuan only thought about it for a moment and shook his head: "The Department of Guards and the Tokyo Forbidden Army still need Shi Qing's hard work and hard work, so we can't leave lightly."
Being rejected was only a little disappointing, but Shi Hongzhao didn't care too much. Now he is in charge of the Guards Department and is the leader of the Tokyo Forbidden Army. He is proud and domineering. If they go on an expedition, the outcome is unpredictable, and there is a possibility of losing the commander of the imperial army. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, it was better to stay in the capital. Today, Shi Hongzhao is no longer the pure general he was under Liu Zhiyuan in Hedong. This bureaucracy has become more and more complicated.
As for Liu Chengyou, he does have the intention to be the commander-in-chief, but it is almost certain that as long as he proposes it, he will be opposed.
After thinking about it for a while, Liu Chengyou took the initiative to report: "I think that instead of entrusting generals to go on an expedition, it would be better for Your Majesty to do it himself, lead an army, and use the power of thunder to defeat the evildoers!"
Hearing this, Liu Zhiyuan frowned.
PS: Regarding the update, splitting it into two chapters is too short, and putting them together is too slow. It’s really difficult.
