During a family banquet, Liu Chengyou left halfway. In addition to being the head of a family, he was also the king of a country. State affairs were still more important in his heart than family affairs.
About evening, Liu Chengyou confessed to the Queen Mother and went straight to Chongzheng Hall. The moon was thin and the stars were numerous, and under the night, the palace was majestic. After more than four months, Liu Chengyou had a different feeling when he walked among the familiar palaces again.
"Where are the ministers?" Liu Chengyou asked.
As the head of the chamberlain, Zhang Dejun was also very busy after returning to the palace. At this time, he stopped and came to wait for orders. After hearing the question, he hurriedly said: "All the justices are waiting in the East Hall for your Majesty's summons!"
In response, Liu Chengyou quickened his pace and walked towards Chongzheng Hall. In the palace, in the Tokyo court, the most powerful ministers were waiting quietly. When the emperor was about to enter, they all stood up and paid homage. Liu Chengyou was sitting at the imperial desk, and after waiting for him to pay his respects, he motioned for him to sit down without ceremony.
After not seeing each other for more than four months, everyone felt unfamiliar to them. But to the ministers in the palace, the emperor who had conquered the land and returned to the court with great victory was becoming more and more powerful, making people dare not look at him.
Looking around, his eyes fell on Feng Dao, and Liu Chengyou said: "I am not in Tokyo. I have all the ministers to help me. I am sitting in the rear, in charge of military affairs, taking care of state affairs, and regulating yin and yang. Thank you for your hard work! Feng Qing, these sideburns have been added a few times. The white spots show signs of weariness, I can’t bear it!”
"Thank you for your majesty's concern!" Feng Dao immediately stood up and responded respectfully: "I am deeply trusted by your majesty. With the appointment of state affairs, I feel that there is a long way to go, and I dare not neglect and neglect my responsibilities! Now that your majesty has returned to the court after victory, I am still worried. Then you’ll be at peace!”
Listening to his words, Liu Chengyou twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, breathed a sigh of relief, and said loudly: "This southern expedition involved 300,000 soldiers and civilians, and cost hundreds of millions. Fortunately, the soldiers used their lives and the officials planned, and they were able to capture Huainan. Jiangdong’s surrender can be described as a glorious victory!”
"This is all due to His Majesty's strategic planning, commander's wisdom, and wisdom in employing people!" Guo Wei said compliments with a steady posture.
With a chuckle, Liu Chengyou said: "Planning to control the distance, using troops to win, destroying the country and seizing the city, occupying the land and seizing the people, this is the victory. Isn't this the merit of me alone, the strategy of the civil servants, and the courage of the soldiers, all are indispensable!" "
Liu Chengyou was never one to be proud of his own merits, and he had no need to compete with his ministers for merit. With a kind face, he said to the ministers: "This time, I personally campaigned in Huainan, and I was able to devote myself to the military without any food or rice." , ordnance, the worries of the servants, and the worries about the future are all the result of the ministers sitting in charge!"
After hearing what the emperor said, what else could the officials in the palace do? They all stood up and prostrated, looking moved, and praised Liu Chengyou for his wisdom.
After briefly communicating the feelings of the emperor and his ministers, Liu Chengyou was slightly restrained, and the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became serious, just like Liu Chengyou usually listens to politics.
Not long after the war ended, the affairs of the imperial court, although they had adjusted from wartime and gradually returned to normal, still prioritized military affairs. Guo Wei was the first to stand up and reported: "The Imperial Army has returned to camp. We have gathered all the troops to report, and after further inspections, the details of the casualties of the Imperial Army officers and soldiers in the Southern Expedition in this battle have been revealed, and I will report it to you!"
Guo Wei took out a memorial, held it in both hands, and narrated in his mouth: "There were forty-three large and small field battles and city attacks. The Forbidden Army killed 4,375 people and lost 267 people. , 1,360 people were seriously injured and 5,124 people were slightly injured! Among the casualties, 326 were officers above the captain level!"
After hearing the report, Liu Chengyou could not help but lament that "one general can achieve great success with thousands of bones." He said: "I already know how weak the soldiers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were. Even so, after months of fierce fighting, our elite Han army still suffered more than 10,000 casualties. It is not unreasonable." big!"
Of course, what Guo Wei reported was only the damage to the Imperial Guards and soldiers. The Huaibei and Huainan soldiers recruited for this battle suffered double the casualties. After all, what we do is dirty, hard work, and tiring work.
Liu Chengyou gave the order directly.
"Yes!" Guo Wei and Wei Renpu responded at the same time: "Your Majesty's love for the soldiers is admired by all the ministers!"
"The merits of the officers and soldiers of the Southern Expedition have been reviewed by the Ministry of War. All 165 people above the battalion command level have been sorted out and recorded in detail. Your Majesty is requested to review them. Your Majesty still needs to discuss the matter of awarding honors and awards. The courtiers have discussed it together! The battalion commander and the following will prepare separate details and reward according to merit as usual. After approval, the reward can be given!" Wei Renpu also took out a memorial and presented it.
Liu Chengyou weighed it a few times and found that it was very thick. He could see it in person because of the contribution of the senior military academies of the Forbidden Army. After looking at it for a while, Liu Chengyou said to Wei Renpu who looked worried: "Thank you for your hard work, Wei Qing. I will give you my approval after I read it!"
"yes!"
Weighing the memorial book in his hand, Liu Chengyou looked at the ministers and said: "This thick merit book is full of the achievements of the soldiers fighting in battles, defeating the army and occupying the city. As I said in the preface, the ministers sit in town to raise funds, manage the government and care for the people. Great contribution, and there are also officials from various regions and states who cooperated with the battle planning, and their efforts cannot be ignored!"
"It should also be registered and reported for verification. The imperial court will reward you as appropriate!" Liu Chengyou told Feng Dao: "Let Feng Qing handle this matter!"
"Yes! On behalf of the internal and external officials, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for His grace!" Feng Dao said, his words filled with joy.
As a leader, Liu Chengyou will definitely not favor one over another, and he will definitely take credit and share the fruits. He also wanted to declare one thing to the people of the world. As long as he was of use to the country and the court, he would not forget it.
However, as a result, the imperial court had to spend an additional amount of money. Looking at the frown on Xue Juzheng, the deputy envoy of the Third Department, you can know what his temperament is. But regarding this matter, we cannot speak out to object. If we do, we will definitely offend the public.
Since the founding of the country, the Han Dynasty has been struggling with poor finances. Since Liu Chengyou came to the throne, the situation has become even worse. Although it increases revenue, reduces expenditures, and recuperates, it really cannot withstand the tossing of the emperor Liu Chengyou. The Lord of Prosperity, every move he makes affects the world, and what he brings may not necessarily be eternal peace and eternal achievements...
"Your Majesty, after the Southern Expedition, the cavalry, Longjie, Longqi, Xiaodi, Husheng, and Fengguo cavalry and infantry have been damaged in large numbers. In addition, Your Majesty has been stationed in various ministries in the Huaihe River. The number of the Tokyo Forbidden Army has dropped sharply, and it is no longer enough to defend the two sides. If there is a war in Beijing, Hua, and Chan, there will be no war." Guo Wei took out another memorial, presented it, and said:
"After discussion with the ministers, it was recommended that 20,000 troops be selected from the various military, defense and regimental training subordinates and sent to Tokyo! Among them, 5,000 were selected from the Hedong prefectures, 3,000 from Weibo, 2,000 from Chengde, and the rest from other places. Prefectures and towns will be selected according to their own circumstances. Your Majesty, please review!"
After taking it, Liu Chengyou reviewed it carefully and asked, "Will this affect the border preparations?"
The Privy Council's memorial was certainly in line with Liu Chengyou's wishes. He killed two birds with one stone. He strengthened the trunk and weakened the branches. If he wanted to weaken Fangzhen, he had to withdraw his troops first. However, in the past six years since the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty, the authority of the central government has been established and increasingly stable. The threat of local festivals to the imperial court is no longer as great as imagined, especially when Liu Chengyou has achieved great success. Down.
Although he intends to continue to strengthen the centralization of power and collect Jiedu's troops, he is not in a hurry. Other places are fine, but he has to be vigilant about Jiedu in the border states. If the local army is made too weak, wouldn't it be an opportunity for foreigners to take advantage of it?
Guo Wei said: "After detailed planning by the Privy Council, there should be no serious problems. Your Majesty returns to the court. With the current situation of the Han, Liao and Liu countries, the northern border defense can meet the needs, and can be appropriately reduced and adjusted. There will be more garrison in Guanyou. Warriors, because of Mencius and Shu, can be suppressed and mobilized later. When the Li family is determined to be in trouble, they can be ordered to donate warriors and join the cavalry army.
Although the ten states east of the river are the land of dragon prosperity, they have not seen any war since the founding of the country, so there is no need for many soldiers and horses. In addition to selecting people to join the capital, we should also reduce the number of troops to serve the people, strengthen the defenses of Xin, Dai, Fu, and Lin, and ensure the basic garrison of the rest..."
"Since after the discussion in the Privy Council, there is nothing to worry about, let's implement it as it is!" Liu Chengyou listened to his explanation and pondered for a while, then said: "However, please remember that this matter should be done slowly and not urgently. The choice should be made Soldiers must be excellent, and no one is allowed to cheat with their swords, so let’s issue an edict first!”
"yes!"
While making the decision, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but glance at Guo Wei a few more times.
