In Wukou Hanzhai, Zhao Kuangyin entertained Guo Rong happily. The two of them expressed their opinions on the situation in Huainan and had a good conversation.
A little later, Wang Pu, the water and land transport envoy, and Wang Pu, the grain envoy, came from the upper reaches of the Huai River. Wang Puma was ordered to go to Xia Cai to reward the army on behalf of the emperor. He came to pay homage to you. As for Wang Pu, he continued to provide supplies for Wang Jun.
After passing Suzhou and heading south, Yu Jia arrived at the mouth of the vortex around noon on the second day. In front of Jingshan Village, Liu Chengyou was in a good mood when he saw a group of people waiting neatly to greet him. The four leaders were all heroes who played a major role in the Huainan War. Whether Wang Pu and Wang Pu dispatched civilians to supply military supplies, or Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin led the army to fight.
At the mouth of the vortex, the camp was prepared early, and the accompanying army was directly arranged to move in. As for Liu Chengyou, accompanied by Zhao Kuangyin and others, he inspected the land and water forces at the Uokou camp to boost morale and inspire people. Especially those who had made military exploits in the Battle of Wukou, regardless of officers and soldiers, all received personal encouragement from Liu Chengyou.
After entering the stronghold and entering the tent, they were enthroned and paid homage. All the commanding officers above the army level in Wukou were lucky enough to listen to the holy teachings and feel the majesty of the emperor.
The rest of the crowd retreated, and the atmosphere in the tent became "warmer". Looking at Guo and Zhao, Liu Chengyou smiled and said: "I transferred you two to Huaibei one after another, just because I thought you could surprise me! Sure enough? He said that in Shouzhou there was a great victory under Cai Cai, but in Haozhou you are taking turns to contribute to the imperial court!"
Liu Chengyou's statement implicitly meant to compare Haozhou's victory with that of Shouzhou. In this regard, Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin were of course humble and did not dare to take credit.
Wang Pu and Wang Pu were nearby and agreed, saying that Your Majesty knows people well and employs them well.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Liu Chengyou said directly: "After the two battles of Xiacai and Wokou, plus the capture of Zhongli, the southern expedition strategy has made a good start. Our army is in a good situation, and I am the one who takes the initiative. Regarding the current war situation in Huainan, Even if I am not familiar with it, I still understand it quite well.
When we were in Tokyo, we listened to many opinions. You led the army on the front line and had experience fighting against the Tang army. I want to hear your opinions on the upcoming war! "
When it comes to military affairs, Liu Chengyou's style has always been direct and straight to the point. Facing the emperor's question, Zhao Kuangyin, who was still junior, was the first to answer: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, after three defeats, at least in the Huai River area, the Tang army has nothing to worry about. Your Majesty has led a large army to the Huai River. Thieves are bound to be hard to stop.
However, if you want to plow the courtyard and sweep the holes, and seize the Huai River in one fell swoop, it will not be easy. According to the current investigation reports, the Tang troops in Huainan states have been severely ordered to strengthen their defense and adopt a defensive posture after suffering heavy losses.
Now it is winter, and the weather is not conducive to fighting. In my opinion, it is best for the army to be based at Xia Cai and Zhongli, train soldiers, hoard food and equipment, and continue to persecute Shouchun in Shouzhou and put pressure on the puppet Tang court.
Given the importance of Huainan to the puppet Tang Dynasty, they would definitely not give up. They would only stick to Huainan Prefecture and County while raising troops, horses, food and grass to go north to support. With the combat power of the Tang army, it is definitely no match for our army. In the land of Huainan, if we annihilate the Tang army, weaken its strength, drain its blood, and make it no longer have the strength to fight against the heavenly troops, it will be easy to capture Huainan Prefecture and County..."
Seeing Zhao Kuangyin talking in front of him, with a confident look on his face, Liu Chengyou felt dazed for a moment. Liu Chengyou didn't find anything novel about Zhao Kuangyin's suggestion. He had heard similar suggestions many times, and he even thought the same way in many places.
Of course, Zhao Kuangyin's opinion still carries a certain weight. At least for Liu Chengyou, there is evidence to strengthen his judgment and decision-making.
"Zhao Yuanlang's words deeply touched my heart!" After he finished speaking, Liu Chengyou pointed at Zhao Kuangyin and said to Guo Rong and others.
When Liu Chengyou's eyes fell on him, Guo Rong straightened his body slightly, thought for a while, and said: "What Zhao Tuanlian said is very insightful, and I basically agree with him. I would just like to add that over in Shouzhou, the Tang army only Barely able to protect ourselves, our army has heavy troops there, so we can continue to attract reinforcements from the Tang army and annihilate them. Your Majesty personally leads the army south, so there is no need to invest all the troops in Shouzhou.
I thought that we might be able to divide our troops and go eastward to capture Sizhou and Chuzhou in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, and control all of the Huaihe River. When spring comes next year, we can calmly sweep across Jiangbei Prefecture and County! "
After listening to Guo Rong's words, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but glance at him: "Are you asking me to divide our troops? How is the enemy's situation in Haosi?"
"Feng Yanlu, the commander of the Sizhou regiment, and Wu Shaoting, the governor of Chuzhou, are not long-term defenders!" Guo Rong said calmly: "Sending a partial army to the east, I am confident that we can seize it!"
Nodding gently, Liu Chengyou looked at Guo Rong and suddenly said calmly: "Well, Guo Rong, you must have taken a liking to the Imperial Army who came south with me!"
Guo Rong bowed: "Your Majesty has a wise eye!"
Liu Chengyou's eyes didn't flash much, he just stared at Guo Rong, raised his hand to stroke his short beard, considered for a moment, and said: "I will give you the Longqi Army on the left wing, and let Han Tong mobilize a thousand cavalry troops to fight with him. You, let me serve as the military envoy to Huaidong, and attack Si and Chu in the east!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Seeing Liu Chengyou's generosity, Guo Rong showed a rare joy and stood up to pay homage.
Staring at Guo Rong, Liu Chengyou said: "Longqi Army has always been my personal army. You are also an old man of Longqi Army, so you must put it to good use for me!"
"yes!"
"In addition, I will transfer Zhao Yanjin and An Shouzhong to you. They are all young talents that I have taken a liking to, and they should also be used as mentors!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Guo Rong bowed again.
On the side, seeing Guo Rong being entrusted with such an important task, it was impossible for Zhao Kuangyin not to envy him. At this moment, Zhao Da felt a little sour in his heart.
Of course Liu Chengyou noticed the look of envy on Zhao Kuangyin's face. He turned his body and asked him in a relaxed manner: "Yuan Long, the great victory at Wukou, defeating the Tang army with a small enemy, is a great military achievement. There are many awards and promotions for generals and colonels, but your court has not shown any signs of it. Do you have any resentment in your heart?"
Upon hearing this question, Zhao Kuangyin was stunned for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses, stood up quickly, and bowed, "I don't dare!"
"I just don't dare! Isn't that right?" Liu Chengyou said again, although his tone was calm, it always gave people a sharp feeling.
This fell into Zhao Kuangyin's ears, but he couldn't help but suspect that of course he had never expressed dissatisfaction. Could it be that Dang Jin usually complained about himself and spread it?
Noticing Zhao Kuangyin's changing expression, Liu Chengyou didn't wait for him to think about his response, his tone became gentle again, and he chuckled: "Even I can't help but feel happy. Some of my thoughts are normal!"
"I don't dare!" Zhao Kuangyin didn't dare to take Liu Chengyou's words seriously, so he still answered like this.
Seeing this, he waved his hand to let him stand up. Liu Chengyou restrained his expression and said seriously to him: "I have known that you, Zhao Kuangyin, are an extraordinary person and have the talent of a general. I sent you to Suzhou a few years ago, so I entrusted you with it." It means being the vanguard of the army. As expected, I was not disappointed!"
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!" Zhao Kuangyin almost fell to the ground.
Liu Chengyou surpassed him and waved his hand, saying: "How can it be that I don't reward those who have merit, and those who have talents are not used, and pass them out as generals? Wouldn't it be criticized? I regard you as the deputy envoy of Huaidong Economic Strategy, leading the Suzhou army to assist Guo Rong. Explore the land of Huaidong!"
When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him. It was rare for him to be so happy, but after being so frightened by Liu Chengyou, he couldn't care less about his serious appearance.
Guo Rong and others were nearby and congratulated Zhao Kuangyin. Judging from the emperor's attitude towards this man, he had a bright future.
After Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin retired, Wang Pu, who was left behind, couldn't help but sigh: "Guo and Zhao are young, especially Zhao Kuangyin, who is not yet thirty years old, so he is entrusted with certain tasks."
"I have always employed people in an eclectic way. As long as they are talented, why should I fear criticism?" Liu Chengyou said.
Wang Pu said: "I just worry that if Wang Dushuai hears about it, he will have some ideas!"
After glancing at Wang Pu, Liu Chengyou rolled his sleeves and said indifferently: "What are your thoughts? They say that veterans are stable and experienced, and they are worthy of entrusting them with important tasks. If another veteran general is sent to Huaidong, he is afraid that another king will be born. Jun, isn't it enough to have him in Shouzhou?"
The emperor’s words are heart-breaking! When Wang Pu and Wang Pu heard this, they couldn't help but feel nervous and glanced at each other. They were both smart people. From Liu Chengyou's attitude, we could tell that he was dissatisfied with Wang Jun!
They are all a little worried. After all, during a national war, if the emperor is suspicious of the commander in front of the battle, it is not a good sign!
Noticing the expressions of the two of them, Liu Chengyou smiled again: "Tomorrow the royal driver will set off, and I will personally inspect Liu Shouzhou. By the way, I would like to express my condolences to Wang Qing and the others. After all, they have worked hard to fight for the country!"
Hearing what Liu Chengyou said, Wang and Pu both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Obviously, the emperor's mind was still very clear.
