"However, Ma Yin Fang died, and his body was still cold. Ma Xisheng sent an envoy north to ask for the appointment from the Central Plains, and forced Ma Yin's eldest son Ma Xizhen to succeed Hunan Jiedu. However, Ma Yin's legacy was sabotaged by Ma Xisheng at the initial stage... ...." Wang Pu said.
Liu Chengyou said, with a slight hint of meaning in his words: "I have read the history and policies of the Tang Dynasty. Although it is not detailed, I have only mentioned the affairs of Hunan. I think that Ma Yin can be the best in the world at the right time. He forged ahead and took advantage of the situation. He started as a carpenter, established a foundation, and became the leader of a separate country. He was indeed a hero for a while.
However, why is he so unwise? Since he has more than thirty sons, does he still want to have more than thirty sons take turns to continue his career? It is extremely ridiculous! The relationship between brother and brother must also be considered according to the time and situation. This is the real way to bring disaster! "
"Your Majesty has a keen eye, and what he said is true!" After listening to Liu Chengyou's words, Wang Pu agreed: "It is natural that Ma Yin wanted to avoid brotherly strife and surrendered to him. As far as the subsequent results are concerned, his purpose failed. Achieving this will only make the fight for position among the disciples more intense. In the past twenty years, the struggle between the Ma family and the Hunan Jiedu position turned out to be the result of Ma Yin's death!"
"Ma Xisheng was greedy and cruel, and died after reigning for three years. According to Ma Xifan, the third son of Ma Yin, who succeeded him, he was even worse than his elder brother. He was extravagant, indulgent, sensual, extravagant, rejected the virtuous, and killed his brothers. As a result, the people of Hunan were in dire straits and complained.
In the twelfth year of Tianfu's reign, Ma Xifan died of illness. If Ma Yin's death was followed, the eldest of his brothers, Ma Xi'e, should succeed him. However, when Ma Yin first died, Ma Xisheng dared to ignore his fate, and what happened seventeen years later. Therefore, Ma Xifan was passed on to his half-brother, the current King of Chu, Ma Xiguang. This naturally made Ma Xi'e dissatisfied, causing the brothers to fight against each other. "
Liu Chengyou commented calmly: "It seems that Ma Yin was a hero in his lifetime, but in the end he brought disaster to his descendants."
"You said there are three horses fighting for the slot now, who else is there?" He looked at Wang Pu.
"Ma Xichong!" Wang Pu said a name that Liu Chengyou was not familiar with, and explained to him: "It is said that Ma Xi'e caused chaos in Hunan, and there was this person who stirred up trouble among them. He was in Tanzhou and had a relationship with Ma Xi'e from Langzhou. The calyxes are connected to each other..."
"Even Qing found out about this kind of thing. How did Ma Xiguang react?" Liu Chengyou faintly felt something was wrong and asked.
Understanding what the emperor's doubts were, Wang Pu replied: "Aside from sending troops to deal with Ma Xie, the King of Chu has no restrictions on Ma Xichong in Tanzhou!"
Liu Chengyou's dull eyes flashed, and he asked again: "Ma Xiguang's report is unclear. Does it mean that Ma Xihe was defeated and how did Ma Xiguang deal with it?"
Mentioning this, Wang Pu couldn't help but show a strange look on his face, and said: "In order to avoid hurting his brother, the King of Chu ordered the sergeants not to pursue, and allowed Ma Xi'e to withdraw to Langzhou and still stay there, hoping to fight with him. In the beginning, the King of Chu had the intention of abdicating the throne and surrendering the country, but when he failed, some of his subordinates noticed that Ma Xi'e had different intentions and urged him to kill him, but the King of Chu refused, which led to his misfortune!"
"Ma Xiguang is so stubborn and cowardly that he ended up like this?" Liu Chengyou couldn't believe it.
Seeing this, Wang Pu also shook his head slightly and reported: "When I heard this for the first time, I was shocked. The King of Chu is so cowardly and condones hostility. The benevolence of women will inevitably suffer disaster sooner or later!"
Liu Chengyou nodded, thought seriously for a while, and said: "Ma Xiguang's weak behavior will only make people like Ma Xi'e more rampant and less fearful. If the prediction is good, once Ma Xi'e organizes his troops, he will definitely go south again. Seeking the throne. With Ma Xiguang’s character and style, if he doesn’t try to change, people’s hearts will surely disperse. If he can stop him once, how can he stop him two or three times?”
"In comparison, although Ma Xi'e is despicable and bent on seizing the throne, Ma Xiguang will be captured sooner or later!" Liu Chengyou said with certainty.
Wang Pu agreed: "Indeed!"
"Hunan is originally a remote place in the south, with a vast territory and sparsely populated areas. However, the foundation created by Ma Yinjun's blueprint will be ruined by the Ma brothers!" Liu Chengyou said.
"Hunan will definitely be eventful in the next one or two years!" Wang Pu predicted.
Liu Chengyou was thinking about this matter, with a thoughtful expression on his face, tapping the imperial case subconsciously with his fingers, and suddenly turned his head to look at Wang Pu and asked: "In the land of Hunan, after Ma Xifan's brutal rule, the soldiers and the people suffered greatly, and now And because the Ma brothers fought for power, war broke out, which only affected the people. Hunan is also the land of the Han Dynasty, and its people are also my subjects. As the lord of the world, how can I sit back and watch it suffer from war and disaster? Seeking to save the people is like burning water, what does Wang Qing think?"
The meaning revealed in Liu Chengyou's words seemed to be intended to be used in Hunan, which made Wang Pu's expression slightly condensed. He glanced at him for a moment, clasped his hands carefully and replied: "Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty will stop the disaster and the warehouses are empty. Since you want to prepare for the Northern invaders, If you focus on the southeast, you may not be able to take care of other things. Moreover, Hunan is still separated from the Han Dynasty by Jingnan..."
Liu Chengyou's lips curled up slightly: "By the way, we will collect Jingnan together. Based on the land with thoroughfares on all sides, we can control Meng and Shu in the west, and suppress the puppet Han in the south. In the east, we can follow the current and control the Southern Tang Dynasty. Then we can attack from both sides. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Seeing that the emperor looked serious and did not seem to be lying, Wang Pu couldn't help but feel anxious: "Your Majesty, the Gao family in Jingnan is quite respectful to the court now, paying tribute and serving the court wholeheartedly. You can't recruit an unknown master. . Furthermore, with the power of the imperial court, there is really no way to use troops on both sides. Even if Jingnan and Hunan are getting weaker and weaker, it will still involve a lot of energy from the imperial court. Hunan is in decline, but Jingnan can be said to be stable under the management of three generations of the Gao family. Your Majesty has the intention of Tunan, so he should advance steadily and not act too hastily...
Wang Pu's opinion is already very clear. It is not that he disagrees with the use of troops southward, but he does not recommend that Liu Chengyou distract himself from Hunan at the moment.
Faced with Wang Pu's somewhat nervous reaction, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but smile, took a few calm breaths, and then said slowly: "I usually like people who are self-aware, but I am very concerned about myself and the current situation of the big man. , I consider myself to have a thorough understanding and a clear idea. The strategic direction of Huainan is an established matter. How can I give up, and I will definitely not change my course."
After listening to Liu Chengyou's words, Wang Pu looked relaxed and immediately bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"However, we, Han, are the country of Ma Chu. If Ma Chu is in chaos, even though I am far away in Tokyo, I will not be indifferent. I should show my responsibility as a country in the Central Plains!" Liu Chengyou said in a high-sounding way.
Wang Pu asked directly: "What does your Majesty want?"
"Previously, Ma Xi'e wanted to imitate Ma Xi's voice and went to Tokyo to seek the support of the court. The princes refused and ordered Hunan to make peace. Although Ma Xiguang was cowardly and incompetent, he was the king of Chu, so he had a legitimate name after all. For Ma I despise people like Xi E who have ulterior motives and are rebellious. With this defeat, I need to severely reprimand Zhi so that he can settle down in Langzhou and live an honest life..."
Hearing what Liu Chengyou said, the look of doubt on Wang Pu's face became more intense: "In this case, I'm afraid the effect will still be small. In order to seize the throne, people like Ma Xi'e may not take into account the will of the imperial court!"
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's eyes flashed with a cunning meaning: "If Ma Xiguang gets the support of the imperial court, if Ma Xi'e wants to fight against several towns in Hunan with one state, he is afraid of being alone. If he wants to fight against Ma Xiguang, he will How to do it?"
"Invite foreign aid!" Wang Pu reacted, and then thought carefully: "The only forces around Hunan that have the strength to intervene are Meng Shu and the Puppet Tang! However, the only ones who have the real possibility of sending troops are the Puppet Tang!"
After saying this, Wang Pu's eyes seemed to light up.
Liu Chengyou was very satisfied with Wang Pu's agility and said leisurely: "When Gao Congjie was at odds with our dynasty, he proclaimed himself a minister and asked for help from Jinling, and Li Jing accepted him. When Wang Min was in civil strife, the puppet Tang Dynasty also sent out troops to destroy him. Fujian. If Ma Chu is in constant civil strife and Ma Xi'e declares himself a minister and asks for orders from Jinling, will Li Jing be tempted?"
Wang Pu completely understood Liu Chengyou's thoughts, weighed it secretly for a while, and replied slightly conservatively: "There is no guarantee, but if it really comes to that point, it can be done in a single thought of the pseudo-Tang lord, just like the internal activities of the pseudo-Tang I don’t know what the outcome will be!”
"But, maybe we can give it a try!" Liu Chengyou said calmly: "If the puppet Tang Dynasty uses force in Hunan, its troops will be divided. Our government will send troops southward at that time, which may save a lot of trouble!"
Wang Pu nodded subconsciously, looking at Liu Chengyou who was sitting calmly and calmly, and made a clear statement. No wonder the emperor discussed so much with him about Hunan, because he originally had the idea of using Hunan as bait to dilute the military power of the Southern Tang Dynasty. As for those words of concern for the people of Hunan, Wang Pu took the initiative to ignore them.
However, Liu Chengyou had this idea from the sporadic memories buried in his mind. Ma Chu's rule in Hunan seemed to be the result of the Southern Tang's troops.
