"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Pan Mei finally got Emperor Liu's nod of approval, and she knelt down on the spot, unable to help herself with joy.
Speaking of which, Pan Mei's achievements cannot be considered small. After all, there are only a few generals who can destroy a country by themselves. However, he has been struggling most of the past ten years.
After seven years in Hunan, he was able to successfully lead the army to pacify Guangdong. Now after another four years, Emperor Liu finally relented and gave him the chance to regain Annan. Perhaps, after winning, his title can be raised.
"Thank you for what you have done?" Emperor Liu straightened the corners of his sleeves and said, "This is also a major military matter. You have worked hard to restore the troops to the imperial court. If you want to thank me, it is I who thank you!"
"Your Majesty is serious!" Pan Mei was so moved when she heard Emperor Liu say this.
"But!" As soon as the words changed, Emperor Liu reminded: "Military affairs are a matter of life and death, and we have to work a lot of troops. Annan is remote and the situation is chaotic. Even if the Han Dynasty forces suppress the territory, we still must not be careless, and we must not be arrogant or negligent. I will do that. Just a reminder, you are also a veteran in the military, so you should understand these principles!"
"Yes! I will remember His Majesty's teachings!" Pan Mei said with a solemn expression and cupped her hands.
"This time of mobilizing troops, there is really no need to go to war. It is enough to control the people in Lingnan!" Pan Mei began to talk to Emperor Liu about specific matters.
"Are there enough troops in Lingnan?" Emperor Liu asked.
According to the Privy Council's military arrangements for the Lingnan region, the total number of military personnel plus the garrison troops was only over 17,000 after several years of reorganization. If we want to send troops to Ping'an South, excluding the troops left at hand, there will not be much military power to use.
In the Annan area, the territory cannot be considered small. If they are really reckless and plan for it with a small number of soldiers and horses, even if the Han soldiers are strong and strong, with sharp weapons and armor, they still cannot prevent accidents from happening. As for Emperor Liu, who has always been a steady character, he prefers to have an absolute advantage and then easily turn it into a victory.
Of course, if we send out a large number of troops to conquer Annan, it will easily lead to waste, waste the army and lose money, and the gain will not be worth the loss.
Sensing Emperor Liu's concerns, Pan Mei said: "I plan to recruit 10,000 Lingnan garrison soldiers and Dusi soldiers and horses, and recruit 10,000 barbarians from the chieftains in Guangxi. 20,000 people will be enough. If Annan is unified, perhaps It is difficult, but it is divided into pieces and each has its own affairs, which is an opportunity for our army.
I plan to launch a surprise attack, use the force of thunder to seize Ding's leader, and gnaw off this hardest bone! Then, gradually cut off other counties and cities..."
"What other support do you need from the court?" Emperor Liu nodded and continued to ask.
"I hope that the Pingfei Army in Hunan will be temporarily transferred to the Southern Expeditionary Army. The Pingfei Army has been trained for a long time, has good combat power, and is loyal to the court. It made great contributions to the victory over Guangdong back then!" Pan Mei asked.
The Pingqian Army was formed by selecting the Miao and Yao barbarians from western Hunan after the Jinghu pacification. It is different from the ordinary soldiers. It has now been upgraded to a frontier army and is stationed in western Hunan and central Guizhou.
Just like its name, it is like walking on plain ground across the mountains, forests and natural chasms. The first military envoy was Qin Zaixiong, a local tycoon from the Yao ethnic group. Since the formation of the army, he has performed very well. He has performed well in peace and order, especially in the war in Pingnan.
Speaking of Qin Zaixiong, as time goes by, it becomes more and more foresight to take the initiative to surrender to the court and show his loyalty. Today's Qin Zaixiong is a nobleman with great Han roots. He was granted the title of Marquis of Hongjiang. His actual influence among the Miao and Yao barbarians has exceeded that of the original "King of Xu" Fu Yantong.
Two years ago, Qin Zaixiong went a step further and became the magistrate of Chenzhou, which was very rare for a person of barbarian origin. This also meant that he was no longer regarded as a "thug", but was completely accepted by the court as his own. people.
"Yes!" When Pan Mei proposed to borrow the Pingqian Army, Emperor Liu agreed directly. He originally intended to strengthen the strength of the Southern Expedition.
"In addition, I hope to increase the number of ordnance, especially gunpowder and rockets!" Pan Mei asked again.
After years of development and trial use, the use of gunpowder in warfare has gradually matured. However, the government's control is also very strict. When the Guangdong people were pacified, the Guangdong army expelled the elephant soldiers to fight against the Han army. Pan Mei relied on the rockets she distributed to defeat them, broke through the defense line in one fell swoop, and reached Panyu City.
After hearing what he said, Emperor Liu thought for a moment and made a generous gesture: "You can discuss these specific matters with the Privy Council and the Ministry of War. Now that I have decided to send troops, the imperial court will definitely support it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Pan Mei solemnly said again: "I will definitely eliminate the traitors and recover Annan to repay Your Majesty for your kindness."
"Okay! You can take charge of military affairs!" Emperor Liu said calmly: "Since you have mentioned the leader of the Ding tribe several times and said that he is a heroic figure, then I hope that one day I can see this in Tokyo. Pickled human heads!”
"yes!"
"Look! You have been away from home for a long time, and it is rare for you to return to court. I wanted you to relax, but you can't stop talking about state affairs." Emperor Liu smiled and said in an easy-going way.
This time, Pan Mei didn't let Pan Mei sleep with him. Pan Mei was also eager to get down to business, and after chatting with Emperor Liu for a while, she returned to Tokyo to visit the Privy Council and the Second Yamen of the Ministry of War.
Emperor Liu looked calm on his face, but in his heart he was still thinking about using troops against Annan. The only doubt in my mind is that if the north and the south use troops at the same time, is it too frequent and is it too much?
Emperor Liu had always been cautious and prudent in his military attitude. However, if you think about it carefully, the current big man also has the capital to support him. Xia Sui has been surrounded for a long time. As for the envoys of Annan, what kind of stinky fish and rotten shrimp are they?
Of course, because he agreed to Pan Mei's southern expedition, Emperor Liu had another slight headache. That is, Wang Quanbin will have to spend a lot of effort to appease him. General Wang has been sharpening his sword in the southwest for many years.
Although due to the old affairs between Datang and Nanzhao during the Tianbao period, not many people in the court agreed with the southern expedition to Dali. However, Wang Quanbin, who was dissatisfied with his status and fortune, did not have so many scruples. He pointed at destroying Dali, rectifying his name, and getting promoted to a noble position.
It is naturally difficult to conquer Dali. The biggest trouble lies in the geographical restrictions. However, this trouble is not unsolvable for the Han army, which has been preparing for many years.
More importantly, the domestic situation in Dali in recent years has not been calm. The situation was better than that in Annan. However, the royal power of the Duan family fell, and the nobles of various families rose up, expanded their power, and took control of the government, especially the Gao family.
Dali is not a country with centralized power. The country is neither strong nor internally monolithic. It is also difficult to defend the country just by relying on its geographical advantages. Wang Quanbin had gone to Emperor Liu several times to discuss his military strategy.
In Wang Quanbin's opinion, there is no need to wipe out all the cities and counties in Dali. As long as the capital city of Yangjumei and several important counties are captured, the other prefectures, towns, tribes, and clans can be informed and decided. With the surrender and then the promotion of chieftains, the southwest can be settled, and it will not be like some people in the court who worry that it will not last for a long time and waste the people and money.
In fact, Wang Quanbin secretly planned the route for advancing troops and reported it to Emperor Liu secretly. Wang Quanbin was almost sixty years old, and he wrote a memorial to Emperor Liu that he was afraid that if he was a few years older, he would no longer be able to pacify the Southwest for His Majesty...
Now, first to deal with the troubled troops, but also to launch troops against Annan, one can imagine how excited Wang Quanbin will be after the news spreads. However, it was impossible for the imperial court to use troops in the southwest at the same time. It had no choice but to continue to suppress the old general.
