"How can the offensive and defensive momentum, the way of life and death, be determined by your personal wishes?" After listening to Pule's words, Li Chuyun said rudely: "As you said, with the strength of Gaochang's capital, it is difficult for the Khitan soldiers to lead the army. , lost their troops and lost their land, abandoned their country and fled, and now only have a mere six Kucha city. How can they be so confident and sustain it for a long time? In my opinion, it is not yet known whether Kucha city can be protected at the moment. Maybe you return to the Uighur monarch and his ministers. , has been captured by the Khitans!"
Li Chuyun's words were not polite and even contained a little contempt. His strong posture made Pu Le feel a little uncomfortable. This was completely different from the feeling Emperor Liu gave him. The emperor was aloof and out of reach, while Li Chuyun was more aggressive.
Facing the gazes of the Han emperor and his ministers, Pule forcibly stabilized his mind, pondered for a while, and then said: "What the foreign minister said is not a personal delusion. There are four reasons in total!"
"Oh! Tell me!" Emperor Liu was a little interested.
Bowing with his hands in hand, Pu Le said slowly: "First, the Khitans marched westward brazenly and attacked our country. Although they relied on conspiracy to sneak attack, occupy our city, and kill our soldiers and civilians, the kings and ministers of our country all regarded them as enemies. Determined to resist resolutely, never compromise, and willing to fight to the last soldier;
Second, the Khitan people came from afar and fought fiercely in the territory for more than a year. Although they achieved some results, the long-term battle made their troops tired and their front and rear troops also suffered a lot of damage. Their military strength will only become weaker and weaker. If the battle continues for a long time, , may not last longer;
Third, although Gaochang City was destroyed, the Kucha area still retains a lot of strength. Although Kucha City is not as good as Gaochang Guanggu, it can still be defended, and the army, horses and food can still be held on. In the Luntai area to the northwest, there are still tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, which are the strength for counterattack;
Fourth, since the Khitan invaded, they have killed people, plundered property, and committed heinous crimes. When the soldiers and civilians in the country heard about it, they were all indignant. There are millions of tribesmen in our country, and the Khan has also sent envoys to encourage the tribesmen and soldiers in towns and cities to fight against the Khitans. Although their army is powerful, it only has 30,000 to 20,000 troops. It will only become smaller and smaller as they fight. One day, they will be able to drive them away! "
Pule kept talking, counting the advantages of the Western Region Uighurs in protracted warfare one by one, and becoming more and more confident as he talked, outlining a development situation of the Western Regions Anti-Japanese War, and pointed out that the final winner would be the Uighurs.
However, how could the rulers of the Han Dynasty be easily confused by these appearances? Li Chuyun asked calmly: "As the Tathagata said, although the situation in the Western Regions is worrying, it is not yet in danger. If you are confident in the strategy of defending against the enemy, why bother surrounding it?" If you ask for help, why do you need the Han to send troops from far away to rescue you?”
One sentence made Pule speechless, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. Looking back on what I said, I felt the urge to slap myself twice. It was obviously an answer to the question of self-confidence and perseverance, but why did it turn into expelling the Khitan.
Pule's face couldn't help but feel a little hot when his bragging was pierced in front of his face. Seeing him frowning and speechless, Emperor Liu smiled slightly, looked at him and said: "I think you are quite knowledgeable and eloquent. Along the way, you have gone through hardships and dangers, but you have never forgotten your mission. You can be regarded as a good talent. Stay here It’s such a pity for Xizhou, but are you willing to serve as an official in the imperial court and serve the Han Dynasty?”
Faced with Emperor Liu's sudden solicitation, Pule couldn't react for a moment. He was stunned for a while, and showed excitement on his rather heroic face. He bowed: "The great Han is the dynasty of the Middle Earth, and your Majesty is also the celestial dynasty." Khan, I have received your majesty's love. This is a blessing I have earned over many lifetimes. I should be loyal to you. However, my hometown has been invaded and my family and compatriots have been ravaged. Every time I think about this, my heart is broken and I can't hold myself. If I have to do it because of the Han Dynasty's heavenly soldiers marching westward. , save the country, I am willing to die in retribution!"
With these words, Pu Le actually showed some sincere feelings. Emperor Liu nodded gently, and then said: "Xizhou is thousands of miles away. Even if I intervene intentionally, I am powerless and out of reach. Your request is related to the military and national strategy, so you need to be cautious. It should be discussed by the imperial court and everyone's opinions should be listened to. I cannot make a decision alone. In this way, you can stay in Tokyo for the time being and wait for the imperial court to come up with a result before discussing with you. An answer!”
Although Emperor Liu's words were a bit perfunctory, they still gave this person face. Hearing this, Pu Le didn't dare to insist on asking, so he immediately bowed down and said yes.
After the servants retreated, the Liu family's father and son, Zhao and Li were the only ones left in the palace. After sorting out what he had just learned, Liu Chengyou looked around the three of them, and his eyes fell on the prince Liu Yang: "Erlang, you have also heard about the situation in Xizhou. What do you think about the Liao army's western expedition?"
Even though he is still young, after years of training, Liu Yang has become more and more calm, behaves appropriately, and everyone knows that he is a king. Even when he was called to accompany the driver, he sat upright and listened. Although he didn't say a word, there was no sign of irritation on his face, and he was quietly acting like a handsome man. Of course, this kind of patience has been tempered since the time when Emperor Liu was supervising the country during the Northern Expedition.
In terms of agility, Liu Yang may not be as good as Liu Fang, Liu Xu, Liu Xi and even the fifth prince Liu Yun, and he may even be a little late-minded, but what makes Emperor Liu satisfied is the careful thinking and action behind this character.
At this time, too, when faced with Emperor Liu's question, Liu Yang did not answer directly, but thought seriously for a while, and then said, "I am a little confused. The Liao army only marched westward with a partial force of 30,000 to 20,000 troops and traversed the Jinshan Mountains. Crossing the quicksand can be described as a laborious expedition. The Uighurs had millions of people and a city to support them. Why did they have to resist so hard, and in less than a year, most of the country was lost? If the Khitan army is said to be strong, I don't believe it. At this point, and everyone said that the Khitan did not send many elite soldiers for this western expedition..."
Regarding Liu Yang's question, Emperor Liu showed satisfaction. He liked to see his successor be able to think like this, even if he couldn't figure it out.
With a slight smile, Emperor Liu looked at Zhao Kuangyin and said: "Zhao Qing, you were the general of the Northern Expedition back then. You fought against the Khitans. Could you possibly clear up the prince's doubts?"
In this regard, Zhao Kuangyin was naturally happy to express his opinion. He raised his hands and said in a relaxed tone: "Your Majesty, Your Highness. I believe that the war situation in the Western Region has progressed to the current point only due to two reasons.
First, although the Liao army went on an expedition, it was well prepared and sent the right people. They observed Yelu Xiezhen's use of troops, combined right and wrong, had a clear purpose, and used their strengths to avoid weaknesses;
Secondly, the Uighurs were slow to react, and the Liao army marched westward. They had already given warnings but were careless and careless. When the battle came, they made repeated moves and tied themselves up, unable to give full play to their advantages. They were restrained by the Liao army, leaving them empty-handed. Tens of thousands of people, unable to make good use of them, are in this dangerous situation. "
"Do you understand?" Liu Chengyou asked Liu Yang.
Liu Yang frowned slightly, thought again, then raised his brows and saluted Zhao Kuangyin: "Thank you, Lord Rong, for your teaching!"
Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly said: "Your Highness, you are welcome!"
After letting out a sigh of relief, Emperor Liu asked the three of them again: "How should we deal with the incident in the Western Regions?"
Let Liu Yang speak first. Liu Yang thought for a while and tentatively expressed his opinion: "I believe that, as your Majesty said, the Western Region is too far away from the Han Dynasty, and there is the Hexi Corridor in between. The issue of the surrender of the Yijun Army has not yet been resolved. , the Ganzhou Uighurs are blocked on the way again, sending troops to rescue is not advisable!"
Looking at Zhao Kuangyin again, Zhao Kuangyin nodded and agreed with Liu Yang's words: "What His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said is true. After all, the affairs of the Western Regions are not something that the Han Dynasty can take care of at the moment. Regardless of whether the Xizhou Uighurs can hold it or not, there is no need for the Han Dynasty to be here. This is a waste of money and food!"
Li Chuyun's attitude became clearer and he asked Emperor Liu: "Your Majesty, because the Khitan is raging in the Western Regions, its influence has already spread to Hexi. We should take this opportunity to solve the Ganzhou Uighurs in one fell swoop. Once the Hexi problem is solved, we will face the problem again." In the affairs of the northwest, the Han Dynasty can advance and attack, retreat and defend, and take the initiative!"
"Do you think it's time to head west?"
"The current situation is such that we should make a decision!" Li Chuyun replied affirmatively.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, Emperor Liu sat up straight and said calmly: "It seems that it's time to consider heading west!"
In fact, Emperor Liu had already made up his mind from the moment he received Chai Rong's memorial.
