The late Shaanxi Duke Zhao Hui rose to prominence at the end of the Jin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty and made great contributions to the court. As the actual initiator of raising troops to fight against the Liao Dynasty, he took the initiative to defect to Hedong. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he took the initiative to obey the central government and actively cooperated with Liu Chengyou's policy of reducing the vassal state. Later, he led troops to defeat Hou Shu's second invasion of Guanzhong and consolidated the Han Dynasty. Southwest frontier.
To sum up his resume, he is a late bloomer and was created by the times. Although he was allowed to perform for less than ten years, he still left a strong mark in the history of the early Han Dynasty and established considerable achievements. Liu Chengyou once commented on Zhao Hui: The prosperity of the Han Dynasty was due to public power!
In addition, I have to mention that Zhao Hui was also a general who was a personal soldier under Li Cunxu. Zhuangzong's product must be a high-quality product.
As the son of Zhao Hui, Zhao Yanjin was of course also favored by the emperor. Many generals fought bravely for the title of Duke of the Kingdom, directly inherited it, and his official and military positions were gradually promoted. Of course, even if you do nothing, it will be enough for you to be rich and honorable for a lifetime.
However, among the second generation generals of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Yanjin can be regarded as a leader. In the early years of Qianyou, the emperor had several young generals around him, such as Zhao Yanjin, Zhang Yongde, An Shouzhong, etc., and now they are basically all generals.
As for Zhao Yanjin, he had served as the imperial bodyguard of the emperor since the first year of Qianyou. He had always been deeply trusted by Liu Chengyou. It was not until the eve of the Northern Expedition that he was sent to Yangzhou to assist Li Gu in preparing for the expedition.
When he was first recruited by the emperor, Zhao Yanjin was only 21 years old. More than ten years later, Zhao Yanjin has entered middle age and has become a man of grace, responsibility, wisdom and all-around civil and military talents who can be entrusted with important responsibilities.
Therefore, when Liu Chengyou saw Zhao Yanjin again in the Long Live Hall, he was not only happy, but also quite emotional, saying bluntly that people will grow old. Zhao Yanjin has always been a person who dares to speak. He directly broke Liu Chengyou's pretentiousness and said cheerfully: "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life, so how can he talk about his age? Although I am nearly forty years old, I feel that it is time to establish my merits!"
When he was generous, Liu Chengyou was extremely generous, and he was very satisfied with Zhao Yanjin's energy and spirit, and smiled: "I haven't seen you for more than three years. I miss you very much. Come, drink with me!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Listening to Liu Chengyou's kind words, Zhao Yanjin thought in his heart, bowed again, and then took his seat in an unpretentious manner.
On the food table were just a few simple vegetables, fish, spring bamboo shoots, green vegetables, tofu, plus two cups of chicken soup and a bottle of wine. Zhao Yanjin was a little surprised by this and said, "Your Majesty, do you only eat simple meals like this on weekdays?"
In the past three years after the Northern Expedition and the return of the imperial court, due to insufficient finances and difficulties in running the country, the Han Palace began to economize on food and clothing again. Liu Chengyou also practiced it and took the lead in setting an example. Nowadays, he does not object to having enough food and clothing, but when it is time to set an example, he can always tolerate the desire for food and drink.
Moreover, he is simple, and other nobles and ministers must follow suit, otherwise he will be dissatisfied, and this dissatisfaction will be reflected in all aspects. This is what is called recommending oneself to others. On this point, the contrast between Liu Chengyou and Meng Chang was particularly obvious.
"Your Majesty's daily meals are relatively simple. That is to say, the Duke of Shaanxi returned and just added two more dishes!" At this time, the old eunuch Sun Yanyun who was waiting beside him took the initiative to speak up and praise the emperor.
"You have meat and vegetables, you have soup and wine, how can you say it is simple?" Liu Chengyou waved his hand, looked at Zhao Yanjin and said: "This time we will settle down for a while and pacify the south of the Yangtze River. I will be the hero of the banquet. I will entertain you well then." you!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin said with emotion: "Your Majesty is like this, I feel ashamed!"
In Yangzhou, with its wealth and Zhao Yanjin's status, he would obviously not treat himself badly in terms of food and clothing. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou looked calm and just raised his glass and gestured towards him to have an aperitif first.
Inviting Zhao Yanjin to a private banquet showed his closeness and respect for Zhao Yanjin. Of course, the purpose was obviously not just to eat and drink. After two glasses of wine, Zhao Yanjin took the initiative to ask Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty plans to formally send troops to pacify Jiangnan?"
"Yes!" Liu Chengyou also nodded directly, and said in a relaxed tone, as if he was not talking about a major military matter, "You must have guessed that I also want to hear your opinions when I summon the southern generals back to the court. .You have been on the southern frontline for a long time, and your understanding of the military situation can also provide the court with a more comprehensive consideration!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin said directly: "Your Majesty, I think it's time to wipe out the south and unify the world!"
Zhao Yanjin was confident and straightforward, with a decisive tone. Liu Chengyou was neither impatient nor excited, but looked at him: "Tell me about the situation in Jianghuai and Jiangnan!"
After organizing his speech for a while, Zhao Yanjin reported: "After several years of adjustments, the number of troops that can be sent out from the Jianghuai River has reached 30,000. Among them, the Yangzhou and Luzhou troops have received training all year round, are well-equipped, and are familiar with the local climate. A sharp soldier. The Yangzhou Navy, after being reorganized by General Zhang Yanqing, has replaced and purchased hundreds of warships. It has outstanding strength and can be used for great purposes. Once the army moves south, the Jianghuai Division can be the vanguard of the army and advance across the river!"
"I have long intended to use the Jianghuai garrison as the main force in Pingnan!" Liu Chengyou's words made Zhao Yanjin very excited: "However, you have been training intensively in Jiangbei and are watching with eager eyes. Jiangnan should respond!"
Zhao Yanjin nodded and his expression became more serious: "The leader of the Jiangnan Kingdom has Lin Renzhao as his general, responsible for the defense of the Yangtze River. This man indeed has certain general talents, and he also fulfills his duties. When Wang Shi goes south, he is the biggest obstacle. There are two troops under his command. Wanshui army soldiers, trained by him, should have certain combat capabilities. In addition, the Jiangnan army is vulnerable, and Lin Renzhao is ultimately unable to stand alone. The Yangtze River spans thousands of miles, and he cannot stop it against the tide!"
"You and Mr. Li are in Yangzhou. I'm afraid you have been studying Pingnan's idea for a long time! Tell me about your strategy for entering the army!" Liu Chengyou chuckled.
Zhao Yanjin asked Liu Chengyou for a map, and Zhao Yanjin followed the map instructions and said: "I think we can send out three armies. The first route is to send troops from the upper reaches, attack Ezhou by land and water, and then go east along the river to take Hukou and Chizhou; The second route used the Jianghuai water and land forces as the main force, choosing an opportunity to cross the river and point directly at Jinling; the third route used the Wu and Yue troops to go north to attack Changzhou and Runzhou. Of course, Li Gong thought that this was just taking the overall situation into account and specifically advancing troops. We should act according to the situation!”
Liu Chengyou seemed very satisfied with this. In fact, the Pingnan War and the cross-river battle since ancient times have not been able to escape the general strategy. This is due to geographical factors. Of course, what is different from history is that the balance of power between the two sides is too disparate, and behind Jiangnan, there is also the force of Wu Yue carrying out backstabbing, which makes the situation facing the Jiangnan court even worse, almost a desperate situation.
"No matter what, the number of troops that Jiangnan can mobilize is still no less than one hundred thousand, so we should not underestimate it!" Liu Chengyou said this, his tone was cautious at first, but then he said domineeringly: "However, we should also show that we are a big man. The majesty of the Tiger Master swept the south of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop and unified the world!"
Liu Chengyou has always shown a cautious attitude towards the military. Every time he goes through a war, he often warns generals not to underestimate the enemy's carelessness. However, with the passage of time, with the continuous victory, and with the increase in the strength of the country's military, this habit still remains, but personally, he has already formed the self-confidence to swallow thousands of miles and be invincible. Just like Pingnan, if we didn't send troops before, we were left to linger, just because we didn't have the opportunity. However, once we make a decision and send our troops south, there is absolutely no reason to fail.
"How is Mr. Li's health?" Liu Chengyou asked with concern: "I heard that the situation is not very good!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin looked a little heavy and responded: "I dare not lie to Your Majesty. Li Gong suffers from wind paralysis and the symptoms are very severe, especially during winter snows. The pain is unbearable and he can hardly get off the ground. He can only use a wheelchair or a sedan to get around. Official affairs are mostly handled orally..."
Hearing the news, Liu Chengyou sighed with regret. It was not that he didn't know about Li Gu's condition, but if Li Gu didn't report it, Liu Chengyou could only pretend that he didn't know about it. It is also clear why Li Gu struggled to support him. He had promised him to lead the southern expedition in the early years. However, the current situation forced the delay for nearly ten years, and Li Gu was about to enter his sixtieth year.
After a long time, Liu Chengyou said: "I owe Mr. Li a promise, and I should give him a chance to realize my long-cherished wish!"
In fact, because of Li Gu's condition, Liu Chengyou was hesitant about whether to continue to appoint him as the coach of the Southern Expedition. After all, the pressures experienced during wartime and non-wartime are completely different. However, the scene of the old man in his sixties, sitting in a wheelchair, still looking southward emerged in his mind, and he could not help but feel shaken.
