"Are you too nervous?" Seeing the ministers speaking in unison, Yelujing remained calm and even relaxed, saying with a smile: "I think the Han Dynasty is still very friendly! For thousands of years, the Southern Dynasties have been fighting chaos. Cycle, it is understandable that all potential monarchs want to seek unity.
Liao and Han have been in harmony for many years. Although there is a slight friction, it does not affect the overall situation. This is something that is beneficial to the people of the two countries. If the Han Emperor was wise enough, he would not have started a war between the two countries, which would only deplete the country's power and ruin lives..."
Such words would not be surprising if they were spoken by a weak emperor from the Central Plains, but when they were spoken by Yelujing, they were really surprising. Xiao Husi immediately said: "Your Majesty, just because the Han Emperor was a capable leader, he must have plans for all directions. Looking at the history of the Southern Dynasties, is there any hero who unified the Central Plains and did not start the Northern Expedition?
I observe that the Emperor of the Han Dynasty was indeed a great talent. His brilliance, prowess, and weapons were as great as those of your Majesty. He also holds great power, has a firm will, and is known to show his toughness to others.
You must know that back then, with less than 10,000 troops, they dared to attack Taizong's army returning to the north, causing the disaster of Luan City..."
When Xiao Husi said this, Yelujing suddenly sneered twice: "You mean, Privy Council Bei, that I am not as good as the Han Emperor?"
"I don't dare!" Xiao Husi's heart tightened, and when he met Yelujing's gaze, he felt a little regretful. Why did he say everything to others?
Because of the heavy damage caused by the Battle of Luancheng and the loss of the results of Taizong's southern expedition, there have been some discussions on this issue in the Liao Kingdom over the years, with the intention of summarizing some experiences and lessons. Although Yelu Deguang once summarized the "three failures", it was a little superficial and not profound enough.
However, if you want to do some in-depth review and summary, you will inevitably talk about Yelu Deguang. One thing is that Yelu Deguang bore a large part of the responsibility for the weakening of the Liao Kingdom's national power ten years ago. As a son, Yelujing naturally wanted to protect his father, so later Yelujing simply stopped reviewing the past. Of course, without saying it with your mouth, you understand it in your heart and work hard with your hands. The policies of the Liao monarchs and ministers in recent years to stabilize the government and support the people are based on the national conditions and lessons learned.
At the same time, because the outcome of the Battle of Luancheng was so tragic, Yelujing also deliberately downplayed its impact. That battle also had a serious impact on people's hearts. When Yelu Ruan insisted on marching south, why so many people opposed it from top to bottom and the soldiers were less willing to fight? This was one of the reasons.
Therefore, when Xiao Husi talked about this matter in front of Yelujing, he felt as if he had made a mistake with his words, and he felt regretful in his heart.
However, Yelujing quickly regained his composure and said with a chuckle: "Looking at the Han Emperor's actions, he can indeed be called a great leader. I may not be like him!"
Seeing what Yelujing said, Xiao Husi immediately praised him for his elegance and magnanimity, which was far superior to Liu Chengyou's.
After Xiao Hu thought about it, Yelu House stood up again and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty should know that when the Han Dynasty was first established, Hebei had not yet been pacified, and the Central Plains had not yet been surrendered. The Han Lord, who was still a prince at that time, dared to return all Yan Bing lowered his troops to fight with Zhao Yanshou, and ordered him to send surprise troops north to attack Youzhou while I was unprepared. The ten years of hard work of our dynasty were wiped out, and the situation in Hebei was completely destroyed, and we were taken lightly.
In this way, we can establish a foothold in the strong city of Youzhou, guard against our army, and compete with our army without falling behind. At that time, the Han Emperor was so courageous, and it can be seen that he was very far-sighted, and his vision clearly had an overview of the whole situation. He was really a dangerous person with ambitions for the world.
In these years, he devoted himself to developing national and military power and pacifying the south. However, in the north, he never relaxed his defense against Daliao. I even speculated that he was already preparing for war against our country. When Shizong marched south, his cavalry went south, and the Central Plains and Hebei fought northward, the Han emperor already had the determination to fight against the Liao Dynasty with all the strength of the country, and now the Han Dynasty has become increasingly powerful.
Although the Han Dynasty had Youzhou, most of the dangers of Yanshan Mountain were controlled by Daliao. Therefore, Daliao's cavalry could travel across the north and south and enter and exit Yan fortress freely. In military operations, it could always control the fortress. Such a situation was not tolerated by a monarch like Emperor Han.
Your Majesty also said that there was a "great unification" in the Southern Dynasties. Although the Yanyun states were cut off from the hands of the emperor, how could the Han emperor just sit back and watch them be in the hands of the Liao Dynasty, without the intention of marching north to regain them?
Therefore, I believe that there must be a life and death battle between Liao and Han. Your Majesty must not be careless, let alone have any illusions about the Southern Dynasty. Daliao should really be prepared! "
After listening to Yelu Wuzhi's remarks, the drunkenness on Yelujing's face obviously dissipated a little, his eyes became bright and sharp, he pondered for a while and said: "Then let's talk about it, what should Daliao do in the face of the threat of Han? response?"
In the official history, Zhou Shizong's Northern Expedition captured Yingmoji Sanguan. Xiao Siwen suggested increasing troops to recover it. Yelujing responded by saying that it was originally Han territory and it was not a pity to lose it, so it was allowed to be taken. Therefore, many people despised him for this, saying that he was neglecting military affairs and was stupid and incompetent.
However, if you analyze it carefully, you can find that the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun and the land of Yingmo are just a protrusion to the south, planted on the branches and leaves of the trunk of a big tree. The Zhou army wanted to capture it, but the Liao people could not defend it.
However, if Chai Rong returns without illness and continues to go deep north to attack Youzhou and recapture the fortresses of the Yanshan states, do you think Yelujing will sit back and let him attack.
In the later Zhou Dynasty of official history, during the same period, although the national power recovered and the military gradually became stronger, the southern and western expeditions also achieved significant results. However, after all, it was difficult to pose a great threat to the Liao Kingdom, which occupied all the northern territory.
But today's Han Dynasty is a powerful empire that is not restrained by the Northern Han Dynasty and is about to complete the historical mission of unification. The pressure it brings to the Liao Kingdom is also incomparable. Under such circumstances, how could Yelujing truly maintain that leisure and calmness, and sleep, drink, and hunt in peace and contentment?
The ministers knew about this contrast in situation, how could Yelujing not know about it? The worries of Yelu Wuzhi and others may not be the same as Yelu Jing's concerns, but if you want to break the situation, there is no other option except war.
Yelujing's real concern was whether the use of war could achieve his goals. Once Han and Liao fought, the collision and competition between the two empires would not be resolved in one or two battles.
At the beginning, Taizong Yelu Deguang exhausted his national power and went south three times. It was only when Shi Jin was in chaos that he succeeded in destroying Jin. Now facing a Han who is far stronger than Shi Jin, even if the Liao Kingdom has recovered for so many years, can it succeed?
"Since there must be a battle between Han and Liao, it is better to fight early and decide the situation early! It is also consistent with military principles to strike first!" Facing Yelujing's gaze, Yelu Wuzhi expressed his thoughts: "Now, since the Southern Dynasty is committed to pacification Jiangnan naturally focuses on defense and stability in the north. It does not want to conflict with our country and buys time for it to pacify the south.
We have allowed them to seize Huainan, Jinghu and Sichuan. In the words of the Han people, the world is ten points and they already have seven points. We can no longer sit back and watch them successfully complete their strategic plans.
I thought that I could change my strategy towards the Han Dynasty and prevent it from unifying the south. As long as the Southern Dynasty cannot be unified, it will not be able to deal with the Liao Kingdom with all its strength. And without the restraint of the Liao Dynasty, the small country in the south of the Yangtze River will also have difficulty resisting the Han army. At the same time, if Daliao sends troops, it can also inspire the will of the countries south of the Yangtze River to resist the Han Dynasty! "
"In this case, doesn't it mean that Daliao is working hard for the survival of the countries south of the Yangtze River?" Yelujing said.
Yelu Wuzhi: "Your Majesty, this is a mutually reinforcing thing. Daliao is for national strategy, for world hegemony, for attacking and containing powerful enemies, and it is related to vital interests!"
"Between you and me, should I agree to the Southern Tang envoy's request?" Yelujing said suddenly.
Previously, on the mission of Tang Prince Li Hongji, Tang minister Chen Chuyao secretly went to the north to discuss forming an alliance to jointly deal with the Han Dynasty. Yelujing was hesitant and did not agree directly, but did not return it, but kept it with her until now.
Yelu Wuzhi said, "I think it's okay!"
At this time, Xiao Husi stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I found out in Kaifeng that the prince Li Hongji of the Southern Tang Dynasty who urged the alliance with the Liao Dynasty has been deposed. The specific reason is an internal palace change!"
"You see! The small country in the south of the Yangtze River is still internally restless and cannot be used for great purposes. How can it be the opponent of the Han Dynasty? Unless the Liao Dynasty goes southward, how can it prevent its unification?"
