Until winter, the Han court was mainly busy with four major events.
First, regarding the aftermath of the Qizhou flood, a group of officials who handled the situation thoughtfully and provided timely relief were rewarded and promoted. Similarly, many state and county officials were dismissed from office or even imprisoned.
The Yellow River has increasingly shown its threat and destructive power. Every time it breaks, it always causes heavy losses to the officials and the people. In recent years, the court couldn't help but become nervous every time it heard reports of floods in counties and counties along the river. According to official statistics, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have been thirty-six major and minor floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, of which only four years were completely uneventful.
The imperial court paid increasing attention to the floods in the Yellow River, and even spent a lot of manpower on dredging the river and strengthening the embankments. Many ministers responsible for water affairs were sent out successively, including Wang Pu, Yong Wang Liu Chengxun and Changli Wang Murong Yanchao. In recent years, Murong Yanchao has led a group of water experts to inspect hydrology and plan treatment plans. However, the symptoms are always treated rather than the root cause.
Regarding the flood problem, the imperial court also held several special meetings and issued edicts to brainstorm ideas, but it also failed to come up with a radical solution.
Some of the officials below came up with an idea, saying that it is better to dredge than to block. They should follow the example of Dayu to control the water, dig ditches and change the river courses to carry out flood discharge.
This idea sounds good. After all, even Dayu was brought forward. However, it was opposed by a group of important ministers including Wei Renpu.
After all, if the water course of the Yellow River could be changed so easily, it wouldn't have become a chronic problem for successive dynasties. Emperor Liu was a little moved and felt that the idea was good. Blocking is worse than sparing is indeed a simple and easy-to-understand truth, but he is not blind.
Because in Emperor Liu's impression, changing the course of the Yellow River often brings disasters and cannot be done easily. Moreover, this kind of thing still requires detailed investigation, careful preparation, and demonstration of feasibility before it can be implemented. The investment of human resources must also be considered.
Before this, the management of the Yellow River could only be done in the same old way, which included dredging, strengthening embankments, and planting more trees. However, the riverbed in the South Road is too high, and the embankments are getting higher and higher. It is almost an above-ground river. This is also the most frightening thing. Even clearing the path is not that easy. In fact, changing the route is really a good idea, but it cannot be done blindly and blindly like in the Northern Song Dynasty, which was done by drawing lines based on pictures and disregarding reality...
However, there was one thing that the imperial court was promoting in the first year of Kaibao, and that was the combing of the Yellow River water system. The river flowed north, and Emperor Liu even had the idea of digging a "Beijing-Hangzhou Canal".
The management of the Yellow River is not a temporary achievement, or even a lifetime achievement. It is conceivable that it will continue throughout the entire reign of Emperor Liu, and even the entire Han Empire, and it will still cause headaches.
In addition to the long-term disturbing things like floods, the prince Liu Yang is getting married. This is a major event for the court. It involves the country's national affairs. How can it not be important? The political significance is particularly prominent.
Compared with the marriage of the emperor's eldest son Liu Xu, the arrangements for the prince's wedding were obviously more grand and the standards were even more incomparable. After all, the prince was marrying the prince.
The weddings were all held in the Chongyuan Hall. The internal and external ministers congratulated each other. For this purpose, Hanlin, bachelors and literary talents were specially asked to write a large number of poems and articles to express their congratulations.
The status gap between the crown prince and other princes is very obvious, and Emperor Liu fully reflects the importance he attaches to Liu Yang. The prince's position became more stable.
First of all, the emperor valued her, and secondly, there was a queen in the palace, and the Fu family and the Murong family outside the palace. This kind of company was almost unshakable.
On the other hand, marrying the prince also consolidated the position of the Murong family in the court that had fallen due to the death of Murong Yanzhao, Duke of Wei.
After the marriage, Liu Yang still served as the prince in Guangzheng Hall, but he could be responsible for specific affairs. He presided over all the review work of military and political edicts, which was considered as assigning the functions of his subordinates to him.
At the same time, the two brothers Liu Xi and Liu Fang also officially took up official positions. Liu Xi went to Taipu Temple as deputy, and Liu Fang went to the Ministry of War to help with the logistics of the north and south troops.
The remaining two major events are nothing more than the use of troops between the north and the south. The north is doing it with great fanfare, while the south is doing it quietly.
The imperial court has been preparing for the troubled army for many years, and this time it is even more determined. It must solve the hidden dangers within the empire in one fell swoop and the last stumbling block to the unification of military and political affairs.
In fact, since the news of Li Yiyin's death spread, the atmosphere in Xia Sui area has become tense. Perhaps, living on his last breath for many years has forged a sensitive nerve, and Li Guangrui had a premonition at that time. A theory that the imperial court persecuted Li Yiyin, causing the late father to die with hatred, spread within the Dingnan Army, and gradually turned into a voice of revenge.
Naturally, Li Guangrui would not obediently obey the imperial court's order to come to Beijing to support the coffin for funerals. His father Yin Jian was in front of him, so he would not be fooled, and he pretended that he had never heard of it.
At the same time, Li Guangrui also truly realized that this time was different from usual, and the wind coming from the court was obviously unusual. When Yang Ye went to the northwest, Li Guangrui also entered into intensive preparations.
For a time, the Xia Sui area fell into a state of tension not seen in many years, with people coming and going, and conspiracies and schemes emerging one after another. Some of the methods may be cliché, but they often work. In addition to deceiving people, Li Guangrui is really quite capable. He successfully united the entire army of troublemakers, and his slogan was very clear, to defend the ancestral land of Xiazhou.
When Yang Ye arrived in Yanzhou and the Han army was actively mobilizing towards Xiazhou, the Dingnan Army was also working hard to prepare for the situation. However, the strength and weakness of the two parties and the balance of power are clear at a glance.
And as Emperor Liu expected, under the pressure of the general situation, everyone had doubts. The Han Dynasty had always been invincible for so many years. There were really not many people who were willing to follow Li Guangrui to fight against the imperial court.
Even within the Disaster Relief Army, unity was the consensus of the party generals and local tycoons, but that was only to cope with the pressure from the court. However, when that pressure turned into reality and turned into a military operation, almost everyone had a question mark in their mind.
If they meet with the imperial sword, the outcome may be unpredictable, but the fate of the Ganzhou Uighurs will be bloody...
On the other hand, the imperial court's internal infiltration of the Nanjing Army and Party members has been too severe in recent years. Li Guangrui's actions have been continuously spread from the beginning, and finally gathered in the recruitment camp and reported to Tokyo.
At the same time, there were also a large number of officials and generals in the four Xia Sui states who secretly contacted the Han government, including Han Chinese and party members.
If Li Guangrui was able to unite some people within the army, after all, there was no shortage of die-hard elements everywhere. However, Li Guangrui was greatly disappointed when it came to contacting various parties and tribes and seeking support.
When it came to being an enemy of the Han Dynasty, most people expressed hesitation, while a few people clearly expressed their rejection. Among them, there are many who have close ties with the Han government and have interests related to the Han people, and some are more concerned about the consequences.
What are the benefits of going against the imperial court? It is almost unimaginable, and all that can be seen are the consequences. The tribesmen died, the towns were destroyed, all the cattle, sheep, horses and camels were lost, and the salt produced could not be exchanged for food and cloth...
Of course, these situations are all signals sent to the Party tribes by the Han official leadership through years of infiltration. Therefore, when there is no support from the majority of party members and people, the anti-disaster army is just a rootless force.
By mid-September, Li Guangrui felt abandoned.
After going to the northwest, Yang Ye made no major moves except setting up his camp in Yanzhou. In addition to sending envoys to Xiazhou again to announce the imperial edict, they were reorganizing and mobilizing the troops for use, and preparing supplies and supplies, so they were not in a hurry to march.
This action, the political offensive obviously preceded the military action. Wang You did a very good job. Envoys were sent out in all directions, across Xia Sui, and showed his flexibility in implementing the effect of dividing and disintegrating affairs.
Therefore, before the beginning of winter, when all the troops, horses and supplies had been prepared, Yang Ye finally sent troops from Yanzhou when he saw that Li Guangrui was in dire straits and was in dire straits.
Compared with the fanfare and sharpening of swords in the north, the southern expedition was done in a secretive manner. He wanted to have the effect of a surprise attack. Pan Mei was eager to conquer the south, but after she actually received the imperial edict, she was very strict and unhurried, even more steady than Yanzhou Yang Ye.
In the end, the Privy Council mobilized 20,000 troops from the states south of the Ling Dynasty and north of the Ling Dynasty. Together with the recruited barbarians and seconded Pingqian troops, as well as a certain number of accompanying soldiers and civilians, the total number of troops mobilized was 40,000, giving Pan Mei more confidence.
The north and the south are fighting simultaneously, but at the same time they are not attacking, they are all looking for a fighting opportunity. Emperor Liu did not set a hard target for them, and also gave the second general more room to play.
