The emperor's gaze turned to the direction of the ministers, but no one was surprised. After so long, everyone discovered that Liu Chengyou valued and trusted Wei Renpu far more than others. Among the civil and military officials, the one who had the greatest influence on the emperor was none other than Wei Shangshu, who had recently become prime minister.
Many eyes were focused on him. Wei Renpu looked calm, stood up and saluted Liu Chengyou, and then said slowly: "Your Majesty, as Privy Council Zheng said, attacking the Tang Dynasty or attacking the Liao Dynasty, one is for short-term gain, and the other is for long-term strategy. Attacking the Tang is for The short-term benefit is based on three years of preparations by the court and the planning throughout the southern countries. The Tang army is easy to defeat and Huainan can be attacked lightly. The attack on Liao is a long-term strategy. It is a good opportunity. If the battle is successful, the benefits will be felt throughout the world. It should be reversed in one fell swoop. Since Shi Jin, our northern border defense in the Central Plains has been completely subject to the passive situation of the Hu invaders."
Liu Chengyou looked at Wei Renpu and waited for the next sentence. He knew that Wei Renpu was not an irresponsible person and his words had his own opinions, but now was not the time to make peace with him.
"Of course!" Wei Renpu paused for a moment, as if he was organizing his words, and then continued: "There is one thing that needs to be considered. Since this spring, due to the Khitan movement, all our war preparations have been centered around how to resist the Khitan. How to rely on cities and fortresses in the vast area between Yannan and Hebei to fight, confront, and consume the enemy, stick to the defense, weaken its morale, and then launch a counterattack."
"For the troops to march into Youbei, approach Tanji, recover Yanshan, and break the city and seize the pass, the imperial court had no preparation in advance. The Liao army along the border has already taken a defensive position. If they want to conquer, it is not just a matter of sending troops. The northern front of the battle line Moving at least two hundred miles, the pressure of transshipment of grain supplies will increase greatly. The battle line is lengthened. If Hu Qi tries his best to attack our grain roads, he will be able to get twice the result with half the effort. If you use Youzhou as the base, then I will forgive you. Frankly speaking, the current situation in Youzhou is not enough to provide a solid foundation for the advance."
"The land of Tan and Ji is now also a place where Khitan troops are heavily fortified. Its new master leads his army eastward. According to previous reports, it can be roughly obtained that the Liao army still has no less than 100,000 troops. Despite the bravery of our soldiers, Without avoiding life and death, do you have the determination to defeat the defenses and seize the city? Even if you can, it is difficult to predict how much the price will be paid!"
"There is another matter. According to the report of the detective, during the march, a rebellion broke out, and the emperor and empress were killed. And one night, the new ruler was immediately installed, and various measures were taken. The new Khitan emperor marched eastward to Tanzhou, and I made a bold guess , I am afraid that they want to seize the army in southern Liao and consolidate their status. This is a good move to stabilize the situation."
"If the new emperor of the Khitan is not as heroic and decisive as your Majesty, he will have strategic, loyal and brave generals to help him. The Khitan is in chaos, but the extent of the chaos is still an unknown mystery. If you know yourself but don't know the enemy, you will win one and lose the other. Under such circumstances, if our army marches northward, it may be effective, but it is not impossible to achieve its effectiveness and incur fierce resistance."
"The Northern Expedition at this time is just like the time when His Majesty decided to appoint Zhao Yanshou, the former King of Yan, to expedition to Youzhou. It was a huge gamble, and His Majesty won. Therefore, the pressure on our northern border defense has been greatly reduced in these years. If it fails-"
After a pause, Wei Renpu continued: "What I said is all the concerns of the whole family. If the imperial court can adjust as soon as possible, make preparations, overcome all difficulties, and determine the overall situation of the world in one battle, then the Northern Expedition is not impossible. There are only pros and cons in it. , Your Majesty still needs to consider everything!"
After listening to Wei Renpu's analysis, Liu Chengyou remained silent for a while, then raised his head to look at Shang Hongqian and other generals who were actively taking charge of the battle: "Listen to what Prime Minister Wei said, the Khitan has a hundred thousand troops, and my two hundred thousand army is marching thousands of miles north. Can you defeat the enemy?" The confidence to win?"
Shang Hongqian was no longer so confident, so he just talked about it, and it was not his turn to lead the army to fight. Wang Yin and Du Hanhui were speechless. They wanted to fight and dared to fight, but it was difficult for them to say that they would win if they fought.
Han Tong, on the other hand, opened his eyes as wide as copper bells and said loudly: "I am just a pawn, who was taken by your majesty. I don't know the general strategy of the country. I only know how to die to repay the king's kindness. Your majesty's edict is directed to you. I bid farewell to you." If there is no other words, I will lead my cavalry and kill the enemy in blood until death!"
"You are so simple!" Liu Chengyou pointed at Han Tong and chuckled.
Tao Gu was determined to speak again, but Liu Chengyou took a deep breath and made a decision.
The ministers acted as if they were respectfully listening to the holy teachings, but they heard that the emperor held it in for a while and said: "You should retreat first, each of you should perform your duties and manage the military affairs well. Let me think about the discussion of the southern and northern expeditions again!"
"yes!"
"Prime Minister Wei, stay!" Not long after leaving the palace, Wang Pu himself came up and called Wei Renpu to stop.
"Prince!" Wei Renpu responded humbly.
Going to the Political Affairs Hall of Guangzheng Palace with Wei Renpu, Wang Pu couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty has always been a decisive person. Ever since I entered the court and became an official, I have never seen your Majesty hesitate so much in making decisions on the fly."
As he walked, Wang Pu waved his hand slightly, looking a little excited: "The imperial court sent a large army to the north. It was originally a response to the imperial preparedness. Now the overall situation has changed. The situation is mine. I will take advantage of the trend and go south, capture Huainan easily, and occupy all of Jiangbei." Rich land and population. In the land of Huainan alone, there are at least 300,000 households. Add in the benefits of fish, salt, and grain. Such huge benefits are as simple as grabbing something from your pocket. Why use up all the national power and take risks to compete with the Khitan?"
Listening quietly to Wang Pu's words, Wei Renpu also breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the north, and sighed: "To attack the Hulu from the north, to recover all the rivers and mountains, but to face an enemy thousands of miles away, how great is it for your ambitious Majesty?" Temptation, with the insight of the prince, don’t you know? In the past few years, although you have been planning the southern expedition, there has never been a day when your majesty did not visit the north. The Great Wall Yanshan fell to the hands of the Khitan, which has always been a thorn in your heart. If not If you remove it, you will have trouble sleeping and eating."
As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Pu: "If it weren't for the Khitan's troubles, your southern expedition strategy would have been so twists and turns, and it would have been hampered by it."
After hearing this, Wang Pu said with certainty: "Because of this, the Khitan is in chaos. This is a great opportunity for our government. How can we miss it!"
As he said that, Wang Pu couldn't help but became a little anxious: "No, I have to go to see Jia again and state my views. I cannot be influenced by Tao Gu and others. The Khitan still has heavy troops in the south. At this time, the northern expedition is to fight with them. The gains outweigh the losses. Counter-aircraft consumes our country's strength. Even if we recapture the pass, how much troops, money and food will be spent to defend it? Has the Yan army ever thought about how to deal with it..."
Even if Wang Pudang turned around, when he saw this, Wei Renpu hurriedly grabbed him, shook his head at him, and advised: "I have given you advice, and with your Majesty's wisdom, you can think clearly about the pros and cons. The strategy of advancing northward, It is indeed possible to succeed, but whether or not to make the Northern Expedition depends on how determined His Majesty is and whether he can withstand all possible risks and consequences."
"Since ancient times, literature has always been admonished, and martial arts have been admonished. This decision is related to the fate of the dynasty, the overall situation of the world, and even the rise and fall of the next few decades. It all depends on the thought of your majesty. As an important minister of the imperial court, he has to make the best use of the emperor's salary. As for my duties, I still have to go see His Majesty!" Wang Pu said with a serious expression and some stubbornness.
But he was firmly grasped by Wei Renpu, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is the master of general strategy, and the priorities should be clearly distinguished. Let him think about it carefully!"
"This..." Looking at each other with Wei Renpu, Wang Pu finally let out a long sigh.
Seeing this, Wei Renpu whispered again: "Your Majesty is the master of sage decision-making. How can he act completely at the mercy of his ministers? Furthermore, didn't the prince notice why the Longqi Army that had departed directly returned to the capital? ?”
"Hiss——" Wang Pu calmed down and said thoughtfully: "What does Prime Minister Wei mean?"
"If you are just hesitant, Your Majesty can issue an order and station the army on the spot, waiting for orders!"
In fact, Wei Renpu still had news that Liu Chengyou had issued an edict to suspend the advance of the two armies that had gone north.
Wang Pu temporarily gave up the idea of going to see Liu Chengyou, saluted Wei Renpu, turned around and walked quickly towards the government office. Afterwards, looking at Wang Pu's slightly impatient back, Wei Renpu was also a little helpless. This prince's talents were world-renowned, but his character was too strong. That is to say, Wei Renpu has a good temperament and can tolerate and make friends with him. At present, there are too many people in the court who dislike Wang Pu...
On Liu Chengyou's side, after the discussion was over, he didn't stay in Chongzheng Hall anymore. It was too boring to stay there. He has always been a decisive person, but on this matter, he had to admit that he hesitated, hesitated, and had difficulty making a decision.
Wandering around in the palace, Liu Chengyou came directly to the Kunming Hall where the queen was. To the great surprise of the queen, Concubine Hui and Xiaofu were also there, and the two sisters hurried to pick her up.
There are two young women, one is dignified and generous, the other is youthful and gorgeous. It is a pity that the sisters are together, and Liu Chengyou has no sexual interest in moaning at this time.
"Why is Your Majesty here?" The two sisters welcomed Liu Chengyou into the bed together and ordered the maid to serve melon and fruit refreshments. Dafu couldn't help but ask.
Waving his hand, Liu Chengyou said: "I'm tired of dealing with military and state affairs all day long. I'm tired. I want to take a nap!"
This was probably the first time I had seen Liu Chengyou behave like this. Big Fu looked at each other, a little surprised.
