Liu Chengyou was slightly surprised by Chai Rong's persuasion. From his words, he actually meant to defend Fan Zhi. He calmed down a little and couldn't help but look at him and said: "Chai Qing, if I remember correctly, in court, During the war, you and Fan Zhi had disagreements due to political differences, so why are you speaking for him now?"
After hearing the question, Chai Rong responded calmly: "As your Majesty said, I only have political differences with Duke Fan. I also respect his character and talent very much. I fully support the continuation of the Northern Expedition and oppose Duke Fan." conservative.
Although Fan Gong is stubborn, I believe that what he said was out of public intention and for the sake of the country and the people. The court has indeed exhausted all its efforts in this northern expedition. The veterans in the court are worried and worried about the disaster. First......"
Chai Rong's words made Liu Chengyou look at him with admiration. Fan Zhi and Guo Rong had always had disputes in the court, and they often clashed in their ideas of governing the country. They were almost political enemies. This time, when Liu Chengyou was angrily criticizing Fan Zhi, he was able to speak for him as fairly as possible. This kind of magnanimity was indeed extraordinary.
Withdrawing his gaze and calming down completely, Liu Chengyou just said: "How can I not know the hardships since the Northern Expedition, the price of the imperial court, and the sacrifices of the soldiers and the people? However, it is precisely in difficult times that we should work together to overcome the dangers and complete the Northern Expedition. A great undertaking. How can we shrink back from the difficulties at this moment, give up halfway, and waste all our previous efforts?"
"Your Majesty, please write a letter to the ministers in Tokyo to appease their hearts!" At this time, Zhao Kuangyin, who said little, suggested.
After hearing this, Liu Chengyou thought about it for a moment, and immediately spread out a piece of silk, picked up a pen and wrote quickly. After using the seal, he summoned Zhang Dejun and ordered him to fly six hundred miles to Tokyo.
Of course, Fan Zhi only represents a part of the voice. There are opponents, but there are naturally supporters. Ministers such as Wei Renpu and Wang Pu are staunch Northern Expeditionists. As the "steward" of the Northern Expeditionary Army appointed by Liu Chengyou, all military supplies are still being prepared and transferred.
Liu Chengyou was not happy about this. What he worried about was that the ministers in the DPRK and the Central Government missed major events due to disputes between the two factions. You must know that Xue Juzheng, the envoy of the Third Department of Finance, was also a conservative, and the major events of the Northern Expedition were not in the Third Department of Finance. , there can be no problem.
Therefore, in his reply, Liu Chengyou used words calmly and rationally, without showing any anger. Instead, he used a very solemn tone to explain to Fan Zhi, expressing his determination to continue the Northern Expedition and hoping that Fan Zhi would continue the Northern Expedition. The pledge can set an example for all ministers, coordinate with colleagues, appease people's hearts, fully support him, and do not worry about him...
Liu Chengyou's reply gave Fan Zhi a lot of face. If he still doesn't understand the situation, then he can't be blamed for not caring about the relationship between monarch and subject. At the same time, Liu Chengyou ordered Zhang Ji to draft an edict and send it to Tokyo to inform the ministers.
Because of the turmoil caused by Fan Zhi and other ministers, Liu Chengyou had to admit that since he was far away from Tokyo, his control over the country had indeed declined. After all, the mountain is high and the emperor is far away. If he were in Tokyo, he could basically guarantee that this kind of problem would not arise. Even if there were such voices, they would be quickly suppressed.
Of course, it is necessary for the emperor to conduct a personal expedition, and he can also bear this little "instability" of power. However, Liu Chengyou was already considering the issue of leaving Beijing to fight in person after the Northern Expedition.
After dealing with the turmoil from Tokyo, Liu Chengyou's thoughts quickly turned to the major military affairs. He looked at the generals present and asked Chai Rong directly: "Chai Qing can inform the generals about the arrangements for the spring offensive!"
"yes!"
This was an imperial military meeting, and Murong Yanzhao, who was in charge of commanding the army in Huailai, was also ordered to return to Youzhou to participate in the discussion. Chai Rong stood up and said: "After a winter of killing troops and stopping fighting, our Northern Expedition army has been fully rested. The wounded soldiers have returned to camp, food and equipment have been replenished, and morale has gradually recovered. Therefore, we launched a new round of attack on the Liao army." , it is inevitable!”
As he spoke, Chai Rong stood in front of the map, compared it with the military situation map of the Han and Liao sides, and said seriously: "According to various reports, the Liao army still has about 200,000 troops assembled, and they are deployed in Yun, Wu, Xin, and In the Wei area, most of the last elites of the Liao army are gathered here. If they can be completely annihilated or severely damaged, the Khitan will be unable to recover. Not only can we take the opportunity to regain the old territory, but the Han Dynasty's northern border problems will also be completely improved and will never be the same again. , thorns in the back!"
After a pause and paying attention to the generals' reactions, Chai Rong continued: "Although the Liao army is cold-resistant, since this winter, due to the lack of winter needs and supply difficulties, the Liao army's situation has become dire after the entire harsh winter confrontation. Embarrassed. In order to replenish military supplies, they also plundered the territory within their jurisdiction. Many people in Yunshuo died of cold and hunger. The morale of the military was unstable, and the people's resentment was boiling. Therefore, both in the army and among the people, it is our army. Good opportunity to launch an attack!”
"After discussion between His Majesty and the camp, this battle will be divided into three lines of attack. In the first line, the front camp will deploy Commander Murong Yanzhao, with an army of 120,000, to march westward, attack Wende, take Huai'an, and then pass through Huai'an Turn to the southwest to threaten Yunzhou; in the second line, Zhao Kuangyin was deployed by the imperial camp and led 50,000 troops out of Feihu Road to capture Yuzhou, and then turned west to Yunzhou; in the third line, King Wei led 100,000 troops The army moved north from Yingzhou and directly threatened Yunzhou.
These three route armies, totaling 270,000, adopted the strategy of advancing in parallel. They only needed to gradually suppress. Although the Liao army was still strong in strength, it was impossible to withstand the might of the Han army. The time to launch the attack is set for the 18th of this month. If everything goes well, one month later, the three armies will meet at the foot of Yunzhou City and declare the victory of the Northern Expedition! "
After Chai Rong finished speaking, Liu Chengyou also stood up and said solemnly: "I won't say more, but I will mention one principle and two goals. The principle of marching troops this time is to attack steadily; the goal of this operation is to completely restore Yanyun and control the Liao Kingdom. The forces rush to the north of the Great Wall, and the second is to completely annihilate or severely damage the Yunzhou Liao army!"
Fighting steadily and steadily has always been Liu Chengyou's combat style. Although in terms of specific execution, the generals are not restricted from adapting to local conditions and making random moves, the general combat policy has not changed. In this way, although there are less flexibility, it also greatly reduces the risk. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of troops fighting, it is indeed inappropriate to advocate any extraordinary "micro-management".
As he spoke, he also looked around. Liu Chengyou's voice was louder, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, which made people dare not look directly at him: "Some time ago, some generals and colonels reacted. Last year, after a long battle, the imperial court did not reward him. Is it a success? You go back and tell the soldiers below that when this battle is over and the job is done, I will personally serve them with honors!"
"Yes!" As soon as the general was done, his mood immediately rose. Obviously, because of the issue of "asking for credit" during the previous rest and recuperation, the emperor was both promising and reminding them, so they naturally did not dare to be careless.
"Why is Brother Ma so unhappy?" After the discussion, all the generals came out. Luo Yanxuan couldn't help but look at Ma Quanyi, whose face was almost full of depression.
Among the Hebei generals, Luo Yanxuan and Ma Quanyi have always had a good relationship because of their early friendship. At this time, hearing his question, Ma Quanyi said: "The war is about to start, but there is nothing wrong with our Eastern Route Army! If your Majesty doesn't use me, why did you summon me to Youzhou? How will you explain to the soldiers under your command when you return to Luanzhou?" ?”
After saying that, Ma Quanyi immediately turned around: "Brother Luo, go ahead, I want to go back to see His Majesty!"
Ma Quanyi wanted to ask to see the emperor, so he naturally met him smoothly. Of course, Liu Chengyou treated this trusted general very favorably. He asked him to sit down, poured a cup of hot tea himself, and said, "It's been a long time since I had a deep conversation with you. .How is the injury?"
Facing the emperor's concern, Ma Quanyi's little emotion immediately dissipated and responded: "It's nothing serious, everything is almost fine!"
"You are now not just a general of an army, but a commander along the way. You should pay more attention when marching and fighting. Taking the lead is a valuable quality, but fighting with a knife should be done less in the future!" Liu Chengyou reminded.
"I understand!" Ma Quanyi nodded.
"Tell me, what do you want from me?" Liu Chengyou asked.
In this regard, Ma Quanyi did not beat around the bush, stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, General, please send out the fourth army to attack!"
Looking at him, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but smile: "I know you can't sit still!"
However, after saying this, Liu Chengyou's expression became slightly solemn, and he was obviously hesitant. Ma Quanyi's target was of course the Luanping area to the east.
Previously, Ma Quanyi was ordered to lead a partial division to attack eastward. He fought five battles, winning four and losing one. He captured Luanzhou and all the counties of Zunhua, Yifeng, Lulong and Anxi. However, this was achieved when the Liao army was newly defeated and Gao Mohan was killed. Later, with the arrival of reinforcements from the Liaodong region, the defense line was stabilized. Under the leadership of Yeluwansi, the Liao army backed up Yuguan and Yingyingzhou, and still held on to the last bit of the Liao army's territory in the pass. .
Regarding this spring offensive, Liu Chengyou was hesitant about whether to allow Ma Quanyi to launch an attack at the same time, and it was difficult for him to consider everything. However, he paid attention to Daoma Quanyi's eager eyes, pondered for a while, and asked: "Are you confident in conquering Yingzhou and Yuguan?"
After listening to the words, Ma Quanyi immediately became energetic and reported: "Your Majesty, although there are more than 40,000 Liao troops in Yingzhou and Yuguan, they are composed of a mixture of various tribes. Except for a small number of elite Khitan tribes, the rest The soldiers and horses are not very powerful."
"Furthermore, after a winter of consumption, roads were blocked, and its military supplies suffered a serious blow. More importantly, I found out that the Liao army commander Yelvwansi had a disagreement with Gao Xun and transferred him out of the camp. In front of the state army, I thought we could attack!"
Previously, Ma Quanyi's "one loss" among his four wins and one loss was a counterattack planned by Han Chen Gao Xun, which caused the Han army to lose nearly 4,000 soldiers, and also failed Ma Quanyi's attempt to defeat Yingzhou in one fell swoop. .
Listening to his analysis, it was obvious that he had made sufficient preparations. After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou asked: "There are only more than 40,000 soldiers and horses in the Luanping area, right?"
Ma Quanyi nodded: "Exactly!"
"I will give you 30,000 more soldiers and horses, and we will guide the eastern route with you!" Liu Chengyou stared at Ma Quanyi and said directly: "I do not require you to defeat the Liao army and capture Yingzhou and Yuguan, but you must guarantee that We must pin the Liao army on the east route to death in front of the pass and prevent it from affecting the Yunshuo battle!"
"Yes!" Ma Quanyi responded immediately. However, listening to the emperor's tone, he secretly became ruthless in his heart. He was determined to break Yingzhou and Yuguan and drive the Liao army completely out of the pass.
In this way, in the spring attack, the Han army sent out four armies, using 340,000 soldiers and horses. They still moved with all their strength, with the determination to win and the momentum of thunder.
