"Including the battle in the first year of Qianyu, the Shu army suffered direct losses in the hands of our court, which exceeded 50,000. Even for Meng Shu, who had accumulated more than 20 years of savings, it was a serious injury. This time Southwest The battle lasted for half a year, and Meng Shu consumed a large amount of money, food, military power, and civilian power, three times that of our army. The strategy of exhausting Shu has achieved great results!" Wei Renpu said:
"As your Majesty said, the two attacks against Guanzhong from the north ended with the loss of troops and generals. Next, Meng Shu will find it difficult to visit the north again. Instead, he will worry that our army will take advantage of the great victory to send troops to conquer Shu!"
"The army came to Beijing to report. In addition to the war situation, there are also Fengxiang generals who have jointly signed the petition. They hope to send troops south to capture the four states of Qin and Feng and completely push the Shu army to the south of the Qinling Mountains!" Guo Rong continued Wei Renpu's words and said. .
Liu Chengyou opened the letter of invitation and browsed through it. His eyes fell on the string of signatures. Headed by Zhao Hui and Yao Yuanfu, they were basically Guanzhong generals. He smiled softly: "The military spirit is available. Fengxiang's generals are... I can’t wait to serve our country!”
"What do you think?" Liu Chengyou asked Wei Renpu and Guo Rong.
Guo Rong said: "For our dynasty, the Qinfeng prefectures are important border defense areas, trapped in the Shu Kingdom. The two times they went north, they easily invaded the Wei River, directly threatening Guanzhong and stabbing the heart. If it weren't for our Han soldiers, Seriously, the Shu generals will use their troops in a dull manner. Even if it is difficult for them to break through Fengxiang, they will still cause great damage to our land in Weinan.
Although it is unlikely that the Shu army will launch another Northern Expedition in the future, strategically important areas cannot be controlled by the enemy and are often constrained by threats. Your Majesty has already known this with his wisdom.
In my opinion, Fengxiang's army and horses may be allowed to rest for a while. The Shu army was defeated and I tried to attack! "
Liu Chengyou nodded and surrendered his gaze to Wei Renpu. Wei Renpu remained as humble as ever, and did not rush to answer. Instead, he pondered for a moment, considered it, and then said calmly: "Your Majesty, the previous instructions given by the imperial court to the southwestern armies were to defend the Shu army. It depleted its national power and exhausted its military and civilians. Neither Fengxiang nor the imperial court was actually ready to march and recapture the four states.
Your Majesty has said that you will never fight an unprepared battle! The generals on the front line asked for orders. They all fought in Donghe Village and severely damaged the Shu army, so they were eager to make achievements. Based on the situation at this time, if we send troops, we should be able to gain some victories, but if we say that we can recover all four states and seize the land of Hanzhong, it is unknown.
Therefore, based on my opinion, I temporarily put down my intention to attack, reorganize the military equipment in the southwest, gather food and equipment, find another opportunity to attack Shu, and try my best to gain full success in one battle! "
Liu Chengyou did not speak, but Guo Rong said: "Opportunities are created by fighting, and the victory of Donghe Village was unexpected. Once a good opportunity appears, it should be cut off due to circumstances and follow the trend. If we do not take advantage of the new defeat of the Shu army, If you send troops when people's hearts are in turmoil, and wait for them to regroup, you will miss the opportunity.
Reorganizing the troops and hoarding food and grass is a safe strategy. However, when our army is fully prepared, it will also give the Shu army a chance to recover. By then, how much price our army will have to pay to capture the four states.
Nowadays, the war in Huainan has ended in three months, the imperial troops of the two divisions have rested and reorganized, and summer grains from various places are also being harvested and put into storage. Soldiers, horses, money, food, and equipment can all be transported to Guanzhong continuously.
As long as your majesty is determined, the four states of Qin and Feng can fight! "
After saying this, Guo Rong stood up and lowered his hands, waiting for Liu Chengyou's decision.
Liu Chengyou is not surprised by the differences of opinion between the two. It is just a matter of personality. Guo Rong is a very decisive person and is good at seizing opportunities and resolutely promoting implementation.
Of course, Guo Rong's opinions are often meaningful and never lie. However, at this time, Liu Chengyou's mind did not seem to be on whether to send troops. Instead, he looked at Guo Rong and Wei Renpu with great interest.
The Privy Council and the Ministry of War stand side by side and have separate powers of military and political affairs. There is cooperation between the two offices, but there are also contradictions and conflicts. Especially after Guo Rong became the deputy privy envoy, with his strength, the friction between the sextons obviously increased a lot.
Guo Rong was serious and Wei Renpu was calm. After observing the two for a while, Liu Chengyou withdrew his gaze, thought seriously for a while, and said: "The words of the two ministers are all reasonable, it's just a matter of priority!"
"Your Majesty." Wei Renpu remonstrated again and said unhurriedly: "Military wars are never just about sending out troops to fight. Although the Imperial Army in Tokyo has rested and reorganized, the common people in the Central Plains did not recover so quickly due to the fatigue of the war. . Furthermore, in the past few months, the aftermath of Huainan, the rewards for the soldiers, and Fengxiang's fierce fighting have all consumed a large amount of money from the imperial court.
In addition, in the past few months, the imperial court has continued to move, Hedong was restructured, and the border troops were reorganized. It took time to consolidate the results. The financial management of Guanzhong is now on the right track.
Therefore, I believe that rashly starting another war and capturing Qin Feng will do more harm than good to the imperial court, even if we can grit our teeth to support it.
Of course, Privy Guo's considerations are indeed reasonable. However, I still suggest that your majesty stop the troops for the time being, sort out military and political affairs, and plan for Qin and Feng later. It doesn’t take much, it only takes half a year to mobilize the troops, and it’s not too late! "
His fingers tapped lightly on the imperial desk, which was Liu Chengyou's habitual action when considering decisions, and each sound fell on the ears of the two ministers in the palace. Attacking quickly and attacking slowly have their own advantages and disadvantages. The choice between them seemed a bit difficult for Liu Chengyou, which made him hesitate.
Liu Chengyou didn't know much about the military and political situation of the Han Dynasty. However, maybe he didn't realize it himself, but since he captured Huainan, his mood to dominate the world has become more and more impatient. I wish I could capture Jinghu Lake in the moon, destroy Shu in half a year, pacify the Tang Dynasty in one year, and conquer the world in two years...
Having found a good opportunity and the possibility of implementing it, he was willing to try. In fact, to a certain extent, Liu Chengyou's temperament is somewhat similar to Guo Rong, but he is more reserved than Guo Rong.
"In addition!" Seeing that the emperor seemed a little difficult to make a decision, Wei Renpu stood up and said calmly again: "I think that the previous 'tiring Shu strategy' is still feasible.
If your Majesty wishes to conquer Shu, you will not worry about its troops and horses, but only its dangerous mountains and rivers. No matter heading south or west, there are many checkpoints and passes along the thousand-mile journey. It can be said that every step is dangerous. If you fight all the way, you will waste time and lose troops, and achieve twice the result with half the effort. "
Hearing what Wei Renpu said, Liu Chengyou's interest was suddenly piqued and he looked at him: "Keep talking!"
"If Feng Xiang organizes his army, he might as well make a big show of attacking Qin Feng, but he won't do it, so that the Lord of Shu can increase his troops to Qin Feng. If he launches his troops in the future, he can also delay the attack on Xu Tu!"
Wei Renpu spoke concisely, but with Liu Chengyou's shrewdness, he immediately understood what he meant. The military power of Hou Shu, regardless of its combat power, cannot be underestimated in terms of numbers. After all, it has the support of millions of people. Even if there are heavy losses before and after, it will not be a big problem to arm another 200,000 soldiers.
If they attack Shu, it will not be easy for the Han Dynasty to rely on its national power and military power to defend it according to danger. According to Wei Renpu's strategy, he used the four states of Qinfeng as bait to lure out the main force of the Shu army, fight a decisive battle in Qinfeng, and consume and annihilate his army outside Sichuan and Shu. Then, the difficulty of defeating Shu and breaking through the pass will definitely be reduced.
But to play such a big game, the Han Dynasty should not be in a hurry and be fully prepared in all aspects, just like conquering the Tang Dynasty.
As for whether Hou Shu will fall into the trap and "obediently" mobilize the main force, Liu Chengyou believes that there is a possibility of manipulation. Unless Meng Chang is willing to give up Qin Feng and the four states directly, this possibility is unlikely.
"What do Guo Qing think?" Liu Chengyou frowned and looked at Guo Rong.
When asked, Guo Rong directly responded with his hands in hand: "Prime Minister Wei plans the overall situation and has a far-reaching vision. I can't do it as well!"
Guo Rong's words have already made his attitude clear. Obviously, he is more in favor of a big plan than taking the four states of Qin and Feng alone.
"As Wei Qing said, put the advance on hold for the time being and send an order to Fengxiang!" Liu Chengyou made the decision directly.
"Yes!" Guo Rong responded.
"In addition, Zhao, Yao, and Shi have worked hard to control Shu. I will summon them to the capital. I will personally receive them and reward them!" After thinking about it, Liu Chengyou ordered again: "Go to the army to report to Xun. As the governor of the southwest, I will command all the troops and horses, train the soldiers and armor, and prepare for the attack on Shu!"
Liu Chengyou's edict kills several birds with one stone.
