"What do you think?" Faced with Liu Yang's question, Emperor Liu's reaction was worth recalling. His deep eyes fell on Liu Yang with a smile on his lips.
Then he said: "What is your opinion on Dali matters? What do you think?"
Seeing that Emperor Liu was questioning him again, Liu Yang was obviously much more alert this time. He responded directly without thinking, "I think what Mr. Zhao said is reasonable and well-founded and can be adopted!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately laughed and said: "What Zhao Pu said has a pros and cons, two opinions, which one do you hold?"
Looking at the prince's eyes, the sense of scrutiny became stronger. Emperor Liu's son may be slow in everything, but if you really think that he is mediocre and stupid, then the mediocre person must be him.
Over the years, Liu Yang has been a well-behaved and honest prince. He rarely makes surprising remarks. He always thinks twice before he speaks or does something when something happens. Although his mistakes are foolish, he never makes any big mistakes. And many of the ideas are both timely and feasible. As a successor carefully cultivated by Emperor Liu, and with so many years of training combining theory and practice, his quality is obviously not much different.
At this time, Emperor Liu wanted another clear opinion. Liu Yang concentrated his attention, pondered for a while, and said: "Mr. Zhao's understanding of the situation in the southwest is probably rare in the court. Since he feels that the crusade against Dali is worthwhile, The odds of winning are not as difficult as it appears on the surface, so there is no harm in sending troops!"
"This is still Zhao Pu's opinion. What I'm asking is your opinion. Do you agree to send troops?" Emperor Liu asked a bit repeatedly.
Liu Yang was silent, raised his head, looked at Emperor Liu calmly for a while, and said calmly: "I dare not hide it, I do have doubts! I also aspire to expand the territory and achieve great fame, but it's just the few things that Mr. Zhao proposed. This concern is quite reasonable!”
"But!" Silently observing Emperor Liu's expression, Liu Yang continued: "If we want to drain the population in the future, I'm afraid the land of Dali is not attractive enough. It is a remote mountainous area, alien races are rampant, and the Han people are disgusted. It is not even as good as Annan, at least. The Jiaozhi Plain still enjoys the benefits of rivers and seas..."
Emperor Liu was also very satisfied with Liu Yang's understanding and was not unhappy because of his conservativeness and doubts. Because this is also a sign of maturity, and Emperor Liu himself has no scruples.
It took a year to defeat Annan, which was torn apart. Up to now, the Han army in the southern expedition has not yet completely withdrawn. Faced with Dali, which had been established for a long time, the ethnic situation was more complex, and the road traffic was worse, how much time it would take, how much food would be consumed, and the cost of success or failure, these were all things Emperor Liu had been thinking about. Emperor Liu would not think that the Han army was truly invincible, invincible, and invincible.
After looking at Liu Yang, Emperor Liu finally said: "I won't hide it from you. My main consideration in attacking Dali is to fulfill a long-cherished wish!"
Liu Yang was surprised, and Emperor Liu continued: "Furthermore, Wang Quanbin has been in charge of Southwest for ten years. I promised him back then, and the emperor never breaks his promise! He is a veteran in his sixties, just like him As mentioned in the memorial, if you delay it any longer, you will really be powerless!
Nowadays, the leader of Dali, Duan Sicong, is ill and the government is unstable. It is indeed a good opportunity as Wang Quanbin said. Otherwise, why do you think they came in such a hurry to strengthen friendly communication? "
Yes, in the sixth year since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the contact activities between the imperial court and Dali were still very frequent. Duan Sicong, the leader of Dali, sent his clan north to offer generous gifts in the hope of improving trade between the two countries. In Wang Quanbin's latest Southern Expedition report, he also clearly pointed out Duan Sicong's physical problems.
No matter what, Duan Sicong was a monarch who had reigned for sixteen years and played a huge role in the stability and balance of his country's political and political situation. And once something goes wrong with Duan Sicong, and the big guy is stirring things up, a good opportunity will appear.
Regarding Wang Quanbin, Emperor Liu was still a little surprised that he could endure it for so long. Kaibao mobilized troops four times in the year of Kaibao, but he was not responsible for each time. However, the longer he endured, the more confident he became in Wang Quanbin and Emperor Liu.
"Isn't it too much of a joke to focus on personal interests in military and national affairs?" Regarding Emperor Liu's remarks, Liu Yang raised a question, which could even be said to be a question.
Emperor Liu smiled, suddenly changed the subject, and said, "What do you think of Zhao Pu's opinion?"
Liu Yang was almost confused by Emperor Liu's question, but he still said with a slight hesitation: "Didn't Mr. Zhao agree to send troops?"
"Really?" Emperor Liu's smile became even stronger.
Seeing Emperor Liu's reaction, Liu Yang realized it and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Is it possible that Duke Zhao does not agree with sending troops to Dali?"
"Barren mountains and barbaric land, what a difference we get, it's just a waste of money and food for the army!" Emperor Liu said lightly: "Zhao Pu is a very shrewd man and can settle accounts. How could he really agree with the large-scale southern expedition?"
"In that case, why did he agree in the bamboo hut?" Liu Yang asked immediately.
"I said, Zhao Pu is a shrewd man. He has already seen that I have the ambition to conquer Dali in the south!" Emperor Liu said calmly.
Hearing what Emperor Liu said, Liu Yang suddenly understood. Then he was surprised and sighed, and said, "I never thought that Zhao Pu was actually trying to cater to your ideas?"
Liu Yang frowned: "It's such a major military and national matter, but I can't speak outright and express my opinions vigorously. If the expedition fails and the national strength is depleted, who will be held responsible!"
Emperor Liu was still calm: "Didn't Zhao Pu clearly explain the difficulties and hidden dangers of conquering Dali?"
Liu Yang opened his mouth and finally smiled bitterly.
Emperor Liu continued: "Furthermore, if I decide to launch troops, who can stop me? Instead of wasting my useless words, I should focus on how to attack Dali!"
Of course, there is another layer of consideration involved. This time when Zhao Pu takes office as a new official, he will always have to burn some fire when he returns to the court. The conquest of Dali is an opportunity. Although it seems difficult, if it is successful, the impact will be even greater.
Moreover, this is not just a gamble. Zhao Pu also has a clear understanding of the situation in the southwest, and he is also confident in Wang Quanbin's southern expedition. Zhao Pu did not blindly cater to the emperor and ignore the overall military and political situation.
If you take a step back, even if you fail, you will be taking the blame for Emperor Liu. After so many years, who can have such an opportunity? If that's the case, it's unclear whether it's a blessing or a curse.
The twists and turns in this are obviously not something Liu Yang can understand today. During this trip, the dialogue between father and son has greatly refreshed Liu Yang's outlook on life, and it's obvious that he hasn't come back to his senses yet.
"I said, Zhao Pu is a wonderful man. From now on, you can learn from him when discussing matters in the same palace, and see the difference between him and Wei Renpu!" Emperor Liu smiled slightly.
"Yes!" Liu Yang responded.
Taking a deep breath, Emperor Liu became serious again and ordered: "I have made up my mind to conquer Dali. I will issue an order to send troops to the southwest as soon as I return to the palace! You have to participate in this army, so please pay more attention. As a monarch, You don’t have to be able to lead troops in war or command on the battlefield, but you must understand what war is like and what you are fighting!”
"yes!"
In the summer and June of the sixth year of Kaibao, Emperor Liu officially issued an edict, appointing Wang Quanbin as the southwestern envoy to recruit troops, and leading an army of 40,000 troops from Sichuan and Shu to Hunan to send troops to Dali. Wang Renfan served as the deputy envoy to recruit, and two veteran generals led the troops. At the same time, Xue Juzheng was responsible for the transportation of money and grain.
Lu Huaizhong was also ordered to lead troops from Guangnan West Road to provide support. This march can be regarded as the largest in the Kaibao Year. The main battle army and the chieftain troops who accompanied the soldiers and civilians to fight in various levies totaled more than 100,000.
This does not include the civilians recruited for logistics transportation, which also numbered in the tens of thousands. Therefore, the attack on Dali doubled to 300,000 people, which was not an exaggeration.
At the same time, Zhao Pu also unexpectedly regained his love and returned to the government. After being recommended by Liu Ci and becoming an official in the court, Zhao Pu finally realized his political ambition after fifteen years of hard work.
The official position given to Zhao Pu was just as Liu Yang said, Shangshu Zuocheng and Tongping Zhangshi. Because of his experience in the southwest, he was mainly responsible for Dali affairs.
