Although the emperor was worried about the rising wind from the north, it did not affect the normal operation of the Han Dynasty. On the contrary, the top-down pressure improved the execution efficiency of the government a lot.
Spring plowing is basically over, Dahan's preparations for war are also accelerating, rivers and canals are still being dredged, and dozens of granaries along the canal are also conducting low-key transfers and storage. The weapons workshops in Tokyo are also working hard to create weapons and armor. Private textile workshops, under the instruction of the Ministry of War, began to make shoes, robes and quilts.
The senior generals of the two imperial armies were also assigned special tasks. Hebei's Anti-Liao War was only given a topic. There was no limit on the subject or style, but those named had to submit it to the Deputy Privy Councilor Zheng Renjie. An "answer sheet" that is insightful can be submitted to the imperial court for personal review by Liu Chengyou.
The imperial troops of the two divisions, under the leadership of the generals and commanders of each army, have strengthened their training, especially actual combat training. In addition to honing their combat skills, marching, camping, and fording are all included in the performance.
The most important one was the Jingjiang Army of the Navy. Under the command of Xiang Xun, it was divided into several branches to train on the Yellow River and Bian River. Although the hydrological conditions in the Huainan waters are different from those in the Central Plains, Liu Chengyou's requirements for the Han Navy were not high, and they only needed to cover the rear.
If there really was a war with the Khitans, Liu Chengyou, the naval force, would also need to be used. The navy might be able to work wonders in cutting off river crossings and restricting the range of activities of the Khitan cavalry. Liu Chengyou's investment in the navy was also prepared with both hands.
After the emperor's strict orders and the investment of a large number of manpower by relevant departments of the imperial court, the investigation and spying on the situation in Khitan finally yielded results.
Based on the information from all aspects, we can make a bold judgment. In the Khitan, the conflict between Emperor Yelu Ruan and the clan and various nobles has become very acute. Although there has not been as big a rebellion as before in the past two years, there are constant small disturbances, and they are as quiet as It's like a gathering whirlwind, just waiting to explode.
Yelu Ruan may be inferior to Yelu Deguang, Taizong of the Liao Dynasty, but he is not a mediocre leader. He was probably aware of the undercurrent in the country, so Yelv Ruan planned to use war to divert domestic conflicts and take the opportunity to stabilize the regime. Realizing his ambition of invading the south can be described as killing three birds with one stone.
And Yelu Ruan clamored that he wanted to unite his army to attack the Han Dynasty, to humiliate Xueluan City, and to recapture Youyan, Hebei and even the Central Plains. Similar remarks had not been made for a day.
Since the end of autumn last year, Yelu Ruan had sent Yelu Antuan, his confidant who had helped him seize the throne, to go south. The intensive harassment since this spring was the work of Yelu Antuan. It is basically certain that this person came to stand in front of Yelu Ruan, the Lord of Liao.
News from the north came one after another, and the emperors and ministers of the Northern Han Dynasty were constantly calculating their plans, and they also had a clearer understanding of the situation in the north.
Wang Pu even asserted that the Khitan's domestic situation would lead to chaos without any external force. This was probably a strategist's perspective.
But precisely because of this, the possibility of Khitan invasion to the south has greatly increased. In the palace, Wang Pu reluctantly suggested to Liu Chengyou that the Huainan strategy must be suspended and active preparations for Hebei should be made to deal with the Khitan invasion.
Even though he had been mentally prepared for this, Liu Chengyou still felt huge unwillingness in his heart, and he had no choice but to give the order and change his strategy. Of course, the shift in strategic direction does not affect the preparations below, it just has a different focus.
Even so, Liu Chengyou still had some thoughts in his heart. He even rejected the preemptive strike plan proposed by some generals. Unlike the Huainan strategy, which was always hidden and spread among a few high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty and the emperor's closest officials, the Khitan's imperial preparations were known to both the government and the public.
When the Northern Han Dynasty had no choice but to take care of the north, there was also a sudden turmoil in the southern Han Dynasty.
Let's talk about Hunan first. After the pseudo-Chu king Ma Xi'e usurped the throne, except for retaining the last trace of reason and professing tribulation to the Southern Tang Dynasty, he became very proud and arrogant.
He missed old grudges, killed without restraint, indulged in drinking and debauchery day and night, and entrusted all military and political matters in Hunan to his younger brother Ma Xichong. Ma Xichong was also a man of shallow talent and moral integrity, with chaotic political and criminal affairs, and employed people for selfish purposes. They sent troops to plunder people's wealth and use it to reward meritorious officials, but the officers and soldiers were still resentful about the inequality.
In the spring of the fourth year of Qianyou's reign, the officers and soldiers of Langzhou who accompanied Ma Xi'e to the south gradually became disloyal. There was a servant Xie Yanyong, who was handsome and favored by Ma Xi'e. He sat with his wives and concubines. There were banquets in the palace, and he was also placed above the generals. All the generals were ashamed.
Thanks to Ma Xi'e's old army, when he attacked Changsha last year, a fire destroyed the palace. More than a thousand soldiers from Langzhou Jingjiang, commanding envoy Wang Kui, and deputy envoy Zhou Xingfengshuai repaired it and served very well. Work hard without reward. As a result, resentment grew among officers and soldiers, and people's hearts were turbulent.
In a country that was about to perish, chaos arose. The Ma brothers had only been in Hunan for four months, but already the morale of the army and the people were completely lost.
On the 11th day of the third month of Renshen, Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng led their troops and fled back to Langzhou with soldiers and weapons in hand. Ma Xihe only learned of this when he woke up from a hangover, and immediately sent his commander Tang Shizhu to pursue him with more than a thousand soldiers. King Wei and Zhou Zhou were ambushed and defeated, and he only escaped with his own life.
Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng occupied Langzhou and appointed Ma Guanghui, a descendant of the Ma family, as their envoy. Later, they sent people north to contact Lizhou and ask for vassalage in the Northern Han Dynasty. The defense envoy Cao Yin immediately reported to Tokyo, and Liu Chengyou issued an edict.
In the situation in Hunan, with the defection of Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng, the fragile "tranquility" has come to an end.
Faced with such a dangerous situation, Ma Xi'e was basically late-minded and slow to react. Compared with starting a rebellion to seize the throne, governing the country, and handling complex situations, it was really too difficult for Ma Xi'e. .
His subordinates betrayed him, occupied his lair, and suffered a small defeat. Ma Xihe had no choice but to appeal to Southern Tang Dynasty, hoping that Li Jing could help deal with the rebellion. Of course, it's not that Ma Xi'e is completely stupid, it's just that his control of the Chu army in Changsha has become dangerously fragile. If he sends troops forcefully, there is a high probability that the soldiers will turn against him without going to Langzhou.
What Ma Xi'e didn't know was that the Southern Tang Dynasty he expected was already sharpening its sword in Hunan. Liu Guangfu, the envoy he sent to Jinling to pay tribute, had already sold out the true situation between him and Hunan, and urged the Tang lord Li Jing to send troops to conquer Hunan.
The Southern Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers' plan to annex Hunan has officially entered the implementation stage. Starting from the spring of Ji, a large amount of grain, wages, and military equipment from the Southern Tang Dynasty were transported to the west and south and stationed in Ezhou and Hongzhou. The same goes for soldiers and horses, who were mobilized secretly and stationed in two states.
In the north, the veteran general He Jingzhu was appointed as the military governor of Wuchang, stationed in Ezhou; in the south, Yuhou Bianhao, the capital of Yingtun, was appointed as the governor of Xinzhou, stationed in Yuanzhou. The intention is obvious, both the north and the south are to be pursued simultaneously, with the potential to make progress.
